SAN FRANCISCO—On November 9, thieves broke into the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) store in downtown San Francisco and took thousands of dollars of merchandise. Yves Saint Laurent is a high-end French fashion brand based in Paris, with numerous store locations across the United States.
According to a San Francisco Police Department report released on November 14, the theft occurred shortly after 5 p.m. at the store on Geary Street. The thieves stole over $54,000 worth of high-end retail items, mainly purses. This incident is this location’s third robbery in a month. Other designer stores such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Salvatore Ferragamo have also been targeted by thieves in recent months.
According to authorities, the suspects entered the store, and a security guard in the store got into a physical fight with one of the thieves from the group. Multiple suspects “physically subdued and injured the guard,” stated part of the police report. After the guard was held down, additional suspects ran through the store, grabbing merchandise, before running out and fleeing the scene.
Witnesses in the store told police that the suspects jumped in a waiting vehicle outside the store, which fled down west down Geary Street. It is estimated that the thieves took around 20 purses.
The Yves Saint Laurent security cameras captured the incident, which will be reviewed by authorities to assist in catching the suspects.
In recent months, the city of San Francisco has seen reports of robberies increase. In October, a Walgreens location in downtown San Francisco closed permanently due to frequent and repeated robberies. Retail stores, including YSL and Walgreens, have policies that instruct staff not to confront thieves out of concern for their own safety. Retailers have noted hiring more security, reviewing security camera footage, and working closely with law enforcement in order to catch suspects.
