A video circulating on social media shows brazen thieves in San Francisco committing crimes. They’re seen breaking car windows and stealing bags, as the “smash-and-grab” crime continues to rise in the liberal city.
753% increase of car break-ins in the central district of San Francisco
A video taken from a car’s dash-cam is circulating on social media, showing thieves breaking car windows in Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco and stealing items inside vehicles.
An unidentified person is seen in the footage. This persons is wearing a hoodie, exiting a car, breaking windows of parked cars and taking items inside, mostly backpacks.
San Francisco, California
A driver shared dash cam video showing smash-and-grabs in Fisherman’s Wharf.#grindfacetv pic.twitter.com/ELXmDDxRP4
— IG: @GrindFace_ (@GrindFaceTV) October 20, 2021
The liberal city has been struggling with car break-ins with a staggering increase of 753% from May 2020 to May 2021. Break-ins happen all over the central district, including tourist spots, such as Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf.
In order to curb the lawlessness, Democrat San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a reward of up to $100,000 on Tuesday for anyone who can provide information to assist in identifying, arresting, and convicting the perpetrators of the crimes.
At a press conference, Breed emphasized how brazenly these crimes are committed, as they occur in broad daylight. Ironically, just a few blocks away from where the city mayor was speaking, a tourist from Seattle visiting San Francisco fell victim to the crime.
This happened just a few blocks from where mayor @LondonBreed announced a new plan to cut back on break-ins in #SanFrancisco. The couple is visiting from Seattle. pic.twitter.com/YPAdnXRJpI
— Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) October 19, 2021
A local reporter of ABC tweeted the smash-and-grab crime happened just a few blocks from where Mayor Breed announced her plan to curb the break-ins in the city. According to the victim of the crime, they had their backpacks inside the car and a work laptop inside.
Various cities in the liberal state reported surges in theft cases
Last week, Australian singer-songwriter and TikTok star, Clinton Kane also revealed he was robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco, with the perpetrators taking expensive pieces of equipment from his car.
According to Kane, he and two of his friends just arrived in the city on Friday afternoon when the incident happened. He stated they were supposed to film a project and they parked the car in Marina District as they were about to have some lunch.
Kane stated after they parked, three men broke into his car and took $30,000 worth of equipment. He added he and his friends attempted to chase the men down, but they were met with guns in their faces. After the guns were pulled on them, Kane said he and his two friends ran to a restaurant.
In recent months, various cities in California reported surges in theft cases. San Francisco has been one of the cities most affected by the crime, with Walgreens closing down five stores in the city, citing widespread theft.
A spokesperson of Walgreens said in a statement because of the ongoing retail crime in San Francisco, they decided to close five Walgreens stores across the city.
