A cadre of 10 juvenile delinquents, including a 12-year-old boy, were arrested on suspicion of committing nearly 20 thefts at retail stores in San Francisco, collecting $84,000 in stolen goods during a spree, police said.
The pint-sized punks have been causing mayhem in towns along the bay for months, and police have linked them to a series of robberies that began in August. san francisco chronicle This was reported as a police story.
San Francisco police were able to implicate members of the group, which included one 18-year-old, one 12-year-old, three 14-year-olds, and three 15-year-olds, in the robbery. The newspaper reported that the attack targeted a pharmacy chain.
The Robbery and Organized Crime Unit first noticed this pattern on Sept. 23, when a group allegedly surrendered a Walgreens, which included acts of violence against employees, The Chronicle reported.
SFPD said the worker suffered “serious head injuries.”
Investigators were then able to link the group to several other similar smash-and-grabs.
In the Sept. 29 robbery, members of the group stole $15,000 in merchandise from a store on Castro Street. A few hours later, the group returned with another raid, stealing another $12,000 in goods, according to the Chronicle.
Officials say the group has also been linked to some of the higher-profile cases.
In the Sept. 9 incident, one of the 14-year-old boys fired a gun at the store's security guard as the group stole the cash register at the Mission Street store, police said. That bad seed is facing an attack with a deadly weapon charge.
Police say the perpetrators of the November 5th carjacking were a pair of young men, aged 15 and 18.
The 12-year-old boy was charged with assault likely to cause serious bodily injury, three counts of second-degree robbery, seven counts of second-degree robbery, seven counts of grand theft, 10 counts of organized retail theft, and four counts of petty theft.
Brandon McClain, 18, is charged with four counts of second-degree theft, four counts of grand theft, and four counts of organized retail theft.
McClain is being held without bail, according to the Chronicle.
