SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – San Francisco residents were warned on Friday night to avoid the area of Union Square due to police activity.
Around 8:10 p.m., officers arrived in the area following reports of possible looting and vandalism to retail stores.
Police say they arrested eight people, six men and two women, involved and towed cars — More arrests are expected.
Several stores were looted and vandalized, which include:
- Louis Vuitton in Union Square: burglarized and looted
- The Burberry in Westfield Mall: burglarized and looted
- Bloomindales in Westfield Mall: burglarized
- Jins Eyeglass store near Union Square: burglarized
- Maxferd’s Jewelry on Kerny Street: burglarized
- Yves Saint Laurent in Union Square: burglarized
- Walgreens on Market Street: burglarized
- Fendi on Maiden Lane: attempted to get in but police on site prevented crime — Store was damaged
- Hermes on Maiden Lane: attempted to be burglarized, crime was prevented
- Armani stores on Maiden Lane: attempted to be burglarized, crime was prevented
- Multiple cannabis dispensaries across the city were hit around the same time
Viewer video shows thieves running from the Louis Vuitton store with merchandise. Some are seen getting into a car when San Francisco police officers surround the car and start smashing in the windows.
One video shows the store completely wiped out.
Police remained in the area Friday night responding to other retail stores where reports were made.
Within four hours, police responded to several burglary calls in Union Square and surrounding areas.
Mayor London Breed held a press conference with San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott about the incident on Saturday afternoon.
Chief Scott says at least 10 high-end stores were burglarized and vandalized. He says some crimes were prevented.
On Saturday morning, District Attorney Chesa Boudin took to Twitter saying:
In addition, Safer SF Without Boudin Campaign spokesperson Andrea Shorter released a statement in regards to the incident:
“Last evening’s dangerous incident in Union Square speaks for itself — another unfortunate case in point why San Franciscans and visitors don’t feel safe in our City. We should all be thankful that no employees, residents, or holiday shoppers were reported to have been injured at this time. Chesa Boudin’s failure as District Attorney has created an environment where these crimes are allowed to happen without consequence or prosecution. San Francisco Police officers arrived quickly and made arrests of several suspects. If witnesses have more information, they should contact the San Francisco Police Department at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411.”
If you have any information, you are asked to contact the police at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD.
Check back for updates.