Nine people will be arraigned on felony charges on Wednesday in connection with last week's brazen large-scale thefts in San Francisco's Union Square, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Dozens of people smashed windows and grabbed merchandise from the Louis Vuitton store and other area businesses on Friday night, according to officials.
In a press conference announcing the charges, District Attorney Chesa Boudin sought to reassure any city residents feeling unsafe as a result of these thefts.
"We stand here today united in solidarity, and we have your back," Boudin said at the District Attorney's Office on Tuesday. "We will do whatever it takes to keep San Francisco safe. To ensure that you can go about your life, that you can go shopping, that you can go out into the community."
San Francisco wasn't the only Bay Area city hit this weekend. Large-scale robberies also occurred in Hayward, Oakland, San Jose and Walnut Creek.
Mike Redmond, Assistant Police Chief with the San Francisco Police Department, said officers are taking a regional approach to investigate the crimes.
"We've been on calls with our partners in all Bay Area cities that are experiencing these looting incidents," Redmond said. "We're working together to cross-reference our investigations with theirs because we believe that it's a lot of the same groups involved."
Eight of the nine suspects face felony charges of looting during a state of emergency. The California Penal Code defines looting as a second-degree burglary occurring during a state of emergency, a local emergency or an evacuation order stemming from an "earthquake, fire, flood, riot" or another "natural or manmade disaster."
The state of emergency cited in this case is California Gov. Gavin Newsom's state of emergency declared on March 2, 2020, due to the pandemic. The state of emergency was extended earlier this month to continue until March 31, 2022.
Redmond said the department is beefing up patrols in the city, and officials said more charges and arrests are expected.
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