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Series of robberies at high-end retail stores in Bay Area may be connected, police say

Police officers and emergency crews park outside the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco's Union Square on Nov. 21, 2021, after looters ransacked businesses. (Danielle Echeverria/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

Bay Area authorities are investigating whether a series of brazen takeover robberies of high-end retail stores might be connected.

The organized robberies have shocked residents and sparked new crackdowns from authorities.


San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin said Tuesday that he has charged nine people with felonies in a series of shoplifting incidents that included a mass smash-and-grab at Union Square luxury stores.

At least 40 thieves allegedly broke into a Louis Vuitton store on Friday, grabbing whatever they could before loading it into a series of cars parked curbside out front. The shoplifting caravan cut a swath through San Francisco’s high-end boutiques, creating a scene of chaos while stealing more than $1 million in merchandise.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.