A man suspected in a string of shoplifting incidents is said to have enlisted his 12-year-old son to help steal more than $6,500 worth of merchandise from three San Francisco stores, according to prosecutors.
Harry Wong, 44, is facing charges of grand theft, second-degree burglary, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with thefts between May and October 2024 at Saks 5th Avenue in Union Square and two Walgreens stores.
Court records obtained by The Standard allege that juveniles, including Wong’s son, were not only accomplices but perpetrators.
San Francisco Police Department officers arrested Wong on March 17. In a motion to detain Wong pending trial, the San Francisco district attorney’s office argued that releasing him from custody could put not only the public but his son at risk.
“Here, if defendant were released, defendant may again utilize his minor child to commit felony thefts — the safety of his 12-year-old son is at risk,” Assistant District Attorney Stephanie M. Zudekoff wrote in the March 19 motion.
Surveillance footage shows Wong watching as his son takes designer sunglasses and conceals them on his person before attempting to exit the Saks store with other children on May 14, court documents say. Wong walked in another direction as the children were detained by security. The glasses, valued at $1,163.37, were recovered.
Wong was released on his own recognizance following a March 20 hearing. He is due back in court April 30.
His son was booked at the Juvenile Justice Center, police said. The public defender’s office said it could not provide details about the juvenile client.