A retail theft from a Millbrae Walgreens store on Broadway April 6 is being investigated by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office after a video of the alleged theft surfaced Monday.
The video shows several people entering the Walgreens during store hours and grabbing various products off the shelves for up to a minute before running out of the store. Initially reported to the Sheriff’s Office by a customer as a disturbance, the Sheriff’s Office was unaware of the video and extended circumstances before it appeared online.
“Now that we have video, we can potentially put a case together. Before, we didn’t even know that video existed,” Detective Javier Acosta said.
Walgreens did not contact the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident, but a customer reported it after being hit on the arm by one of the suspects, according to Acosta. Walgreens referred all additional questions and details to local law enforcement authorities, declining any further comment, a representative said by email.
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The Sheriff’s Office, on April 6, responded to the customer’s 911 call and conducted a check of the area. The suspects were not found, and the customer, who was uninjured, declined prosecution unless law enforcement found the people involved.
With the video now available, the Sheriff’s Office can send out alerts asking for more information and have investigation leads. Acosta said this was the first theft he had seen in the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction of San Mateo County since he started in the position six months ago.
“If you witness something like this, make sure you are safe. Do not put yourself in any harm. Absolutely call 911, but the overriding priority is your safety,” Acosta said.
In October, Walgreens said it would close five stores in San Francisco because of similar crimes there after a total of 10 stores were closed in the city since 2019, according to the Associated Press. Videos of such thefts are often circulated online.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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