Four Bay Area residents were apprehended by authorities on Thursday for their alleged involvement in a theft incident at a Lululemon store in San Mateo. The incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. at the Hillsdale Shopping Center, according to a news release from the San Mateo Police Department.
Eyewitnesses reported that three individuals swiftly seized a significant amount of clothing from the store before fleeing to a waiting white Subaru Outback. The suspects then hastily departed towards Highway 101, as confirmed by the police.
Officers from a regional organized retail theft task force spotted the vehicle traveling northbound on the freeway and pursued it into San Francisco. However, the pursuit was terminated due to concerns for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians in the vicinity.
Subsequently, the abandoned Subaru was discovered, but all four occupants were located shortly thereafter. The police found stolen merchandise both in the car and in the possession of the suspects. Additionally, it was revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that day.
The arrested individuals, identified as a 32-year-old San Francisco resident, a 31-year-old Antioch resident, a 30-year-old San Francisco resident, and a 27-year-old San Francisco resident, were booked into San Mateo County jail on multiple felony charges. These charges include organized retail theft, grand theft, second-degree burglary, and in the case of the 30-year-old San Francisco man, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, possession of a stolen vehicle, and reckless evading.
The San Mateo Police Department, in collaboration with the regional organized retail theft task force, successfully apprehended the suspects and recovered the stolen merchandise. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
