Retail theft attempt at Target ends in 4 arrests

Police on Wednesday announced the arrests of four people in connection with the attempted theft of nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise from a Target store in San Mateo.

The news came a day after Target Corp. said it was closing three stores in the Bay Area because of organized retail theft and the threat the crime poses to employees and shoppers.

Around 8:40 a.m. Monday, officers were called to the Target at the Bridgepointe Shopping Center for a report that a person had entered the store wearing a ski mask and carrying a backpack, while an accomplice parked a red Honda CR-V at the rear of the business, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release Wednesday night.

Officers arrived minutes later to find the Honda parked next to a delivery door. All three occupants — identified as a 32-yearold San Francisco resident, a 31-year-old Vallejo resident and a 32-year-old Hayward resident — were wanted on multiple warrants.

As officers were detaining the trio, another suspect, identified as a 45-year-old San Francisco resident, walked out of the delivery door wearing a ski mask and carrying nearly $2,000 in pilfered goods, police said. He stepped back into the store and shut the door, locking out the officers, who went to the front entrance and detained him.

Two of the suspects were taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation before being taken into custody, police said.

“It is worth noting that all four suspects expressed disappointment upon learning that they would not be cited and released but instead would be booked into jail,” police said in the news release.

One of the suspects responded to the news by slamming his head into the side of a patrol vehicle, police said, adding that the act was caught on camera.

During their investigation, officers also discovered the Honda had false license plates and had been stolen from the front of a residence in San Francisco, police said.

The 32-year-old San Francisco resident was booked into San Mateo County jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance; the 31-year-old Vallejo resident on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance; the 32-year-old Hayward resident on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of drug paraphernalia; and the 45-year-old San Francisco resident on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a controlled substance.

The Bridgepointe Shopping Center Target is not among the Bay Area stores the company will close Oct. 20. Those stores are located at Broadway and 27th Street in Oakland, 4301 Century Boulevard in Pittsburg and at Folsom and 13th Street in San

Francisco.

Target Corp. also announced the closure of stores in New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

The decision came after the company said it invested in strategies to prevent and stop theft and organized retail crime in its stores, such as adding more security team members, using third-party services and implementing theft-deterrent tools across its business.

“Despite our efforts, unfortunately, we continue to face fundamental challenges to operating these stores safely and effectively,” Target Corp. said in a statement Tuesday.