Around 80 masked looters breached into one of Nordstrom's San Francisco branches and stole merchandise on Saturday night. The raid was over within a minute, according to police in Walnut Creek, California.

A spokesperson for the Walnut Creek Police Department said one employee was pepper-sprayed, while two others were punched and kicked, NBC News reported. The police department added that all three sustained minor injuries and were treated and released at the scene.

A nearby PF Chang's manager told ABC 7 that they saw 50 to 80 people in ski masks with crowbars and a bunch of weapons. As they thought the looters would start beating cars, the manager noted that the restaurant had to start locking front and back doors.

The PF Chang manager said there was a mob of people, and it was "like a scene out of a movie," Breitbart News reported. An NBC Bay Area reporter, Jodi Hernandez, tweeted that about 25 cars blocked the street during the incident.

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San Francisco-Area Looting

Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident, according to the police. Two people were arrested immediately for robbery, conspiracy, burglary, and possession of the stolen property, while one was facing a weapons-related charge.

Meanwhile, the police department said the looting was not linked to a series of protests that have erupted across the country over the not guilty jury verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

The Walnut Creek police department noted that a firearm was recovered from one of the three arrested suspects, The Guardian reported. Meanwhile, no injuries were reported surrounding the incident.

Several high-end stores in San Francisco's Union Square were broken into by a mob of people, who smashed windows, stole merchandise, and ran into waiting cars on Friday night. Among the stores looted include Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, and Dolce & Gabbana.

According to a The Hill report, a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson said officers responded to possible looting and vandalism to retail establishments in Union Square.

Police noted that they recovered merchandise worth thousands of dollars after stores, such as Jins Eyewear, Bloomingdale's, and Burberry were looted.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that Hermes and Fendi stores were also affected. However, officers were able to intervene during the looting.

Scott said they arrested eight people, who were all young adults. He added that there's no doubt in his mind that the incident "was not unplanned." Scott noted that the suspects planned to overwhelm the police and hoped that they wouldn't be there.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said people who try to commit those levels of crimes would be held accountable. Stores like Walgreens and those with cannabis dispensaries were also affected.

USA Today reported that shoplifting cases in Walnut Creek had increased 10 percent in 2021, increasing to 289 cases in the past year from 262 cases the year before. 

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by Mary Webber

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