The San Francisco Police Department Organized Retail Crime Task Force on Thursday announced the arrests of and charges against five individuals accused of prolific retail thievery in the city.

The most prolific of the accused group is 24-year-old Tyrese Boswell, who according to police targeted two Walgreens locations, in North Beach and Noe Valley, on 27 separate occasions, stealing nearly $40,000 in cosmetics and other merchandise.

Boswell's initial arrest came on December 24, 2025, at which point he was accused of burglarizing the Walgreens at 1175 Columbus Avenue in North Beach a total of 18 times. Following his release, Boswell allegedly continued his pattern of retail theft at a different Walgreens, this one at 1333 Castro Street in Noe Valley. The SFPD task force says that Boswell "was engaged in a week-long theft spree that led to a second arrest on April 4, 2026," and in that spree he reportedly hit the Noe Valley store on seven separate occasions.

After being arrested and released again pending a new court date, Boswell returned to the same Noe Valley Walgreens and allegedly robbed it two more times, getting arrested for a third time on April 16, 2026.

He's facing nine counts of felony second-degree burglary, as well as seven counts of grand theft, along with seven counts of petty theft with prior convictions.

Another alleged thief who targeted the Polk Street Walgreens, 36-year-old Faniel Rusher, was arrested on April 29 in connection with over a dozen retail thefts, as well as violation of a stay-away order that stemmed from earlier thefts at the same store.

Additionally, the retail crime task force announced the arrests of two women,  identified as 33-year-old Jacqueline Michael and 35-year-old Darlene Gilbert. The pair is accused of stealing around $3,200 worth of merchandise, primarily meat, seafood, and produce, from one or more Safeway locations across 14 separate incidents. These incidents occurred between January 1, 2026 and April 1, 2026. Both women were arrested in early April, and then re-arrested in early May following alleged repeated theft incidents.

The task force also announced charges against 38-year-old Stanley Young, who is accused in a series of petty thefts at unnamed coffee shops on the 100 block of Sutter Street, the 400 block of Grant Street, and the 1600 block of Noriega Avenue.

Rampant retail thefts clearly continue in some parts of the city despite these not making headlines as much as they did during the "doom loop" narrative days of three years ago.

The SFPD says that "ORC Task Force investigators are maintaining robust partnerships with local retailers to effectively investigate these cases."

Previously: 16 People Named in Alleged $400,000 Santa Clara County TJ Maxx Theft Ring

Photo via Google Street View

• Muir Woods National Park temporarily reopened Thursday for ten days, thanks to donations from some of the park’s operational partners. The $15 entry fee will be waived, and park rangers will be on-hand offering programs through November 1 during the ongoing government shutdown. [KQED]
• Bay Area residents are advised to avoid swimming at local beaches along the coast over the weekend. The National Weather Service is forecasting potential rip tides and 15- to 25-foot sneaker waves. [KRON4]
• Google deleted years’ worth of content and programming geared toward women in tech from its website. It’s just one of many steps tech companies, and corporations in general, have taken toward unraveling DEI initiatives. [CNN]
• Pharmacy customers at the last remaining Walgreens in San Francisco's Mission District are forced to wait an average of 45 minutes, many of them seniors and people living with chronic pain. [Mission Local]
• District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder called for an investigation at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday into the egregiously pricey contract the mayor’s office signed with tech firm OpenGov last week. [KALW]

National:

• The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US’s largest warship, set off to the Caribbean from the Mediterranean Sea Friday. The ship joins eight other warships, along with a nuclear submarine and an F-35 aircraft, taking part in the military’s supposed crackdown on drug trafficking in the region. [BBC]
• Despite claims that Amtrak is failing, the agency broke ridership records in 2024. Proponents emphasize that Amtrak is a government agency successfully fulfilling its mandate to serve the public, not a business meant to turn a profit, as it’s often incorrectly categorized by critics. [Streetsblog]

• It appears that Suzanne Somers’s widower has successfully created an AI clone of the late star — upon her request, with the help of Boston-based inventor Ray Kurzweil (who’s also Google’s top AI researcher). [People]
• Chelsea Clinton and Donald Trump Jr. had a bit of a spat on X after Clinton said Trump Sr. was “taking a wrecking ball to our heritage.” [Huffington Post]

Video of the Day:

Families: Get those oversized tote bags ready — tomorrow is Yerba Buena Gardens’ First Annual Pumpkin Giveaway. Starting at 10 am, the first 100 kids under 12 get a free pumpkin. Plus, free carousel rides until 11 am!

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A Castro District Walgreens manager who took matters into his own hands and punched a shoplifter, which ended up cutting the shoplifter’s eye, has been found guilty of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

Remember that wild story from this past March where the manager of the Castro Walgreens reportedly stabbed a shoplifter in the eye? Well, as more information has come to light, the store manager technically did not stab the shoplifter in the eye, though it certainly had the same effect. According to a new statement from the SF District Attorney’s Office that Walgreens manager punched the shoplifter “in the face with a key protruding from his knuckles,” which injured the shoplifter’s eye.

The 5 am March 18 incident is seen in the video below, after the shoplifter tried to steal a bottle of shampoo, the manager wrangled the shampoo back, but the shoplifter was determined to mill about the front of the Walgreens, until key-punched by the Walgreens manager.

The reason we have a new statement from the DA’s office today is because that Walgreens manager was just found guilty of assault, according to KRON4. The 46-year-old Walgreens manager Guang Hong was technically found guilty of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

“Although I understand the frustration and anger in the community, violence is unacceptable and only makes matters worse,” SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. “My office takes all crime seriously and is working in partnership with law enforcement to ensure those who engage in criminal behavior are held accountable and face consequences to protect the safety of the public and to restore the public’s faith in the criminal justice system and the rule of law.”

Some might complain that the Walgreens manager is being prosecuted and the shoplifter is not, but that’s not true. The shoplifter has been charged with petty theft and battery. Though that individual’s name has not been released, and their medical condition since the assault has not been made public.

The SF Public Defender's office that is representing Guang Hong disputes the account that he used keys in the attack.

"Mr. Hong was a longtime and extremely hardworking Walgreens employee who was working the graveyard shift on the night in question, and he fought in self-defense after attempting to recover stolen items from the alleged victim," deputy public defender Megan Votaw said in a statement sent to SFist. "During the interactions that Mr Hong and the alleged victim had that night, the alleged victim threw a bottle at Mr Hong, repeatedly hurled offensive insults--that Mr. Hong interpreted as threats--and came toward him with a fighting posture. Mr. Hong was not holding his keys between his fingers when he punched the alleged victim."

The Walgreens manager Hong is currently out of custody, and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15.

Related: Police Arrest Employee at Castro Walgreens Who Allegedly Stabbed Shoplifter In the Eye [SFist]

Image: @friscolive415 via Twitter

It was a violent morning on Castro Street Wednesday when an employee at the Walgreens store there allegedly stabbed a shoplifter in the eye during a street altercation.

It's not clear how things escalated, but what is clear from video that was taken of the incident from across the street is that a man with a backpack was chased out of the store by a security guard and a store employee wearing a blue shirt and face mask, and he was physically attacked by both men until he dropped an object he had in his hand.

The video, posted by the Xitter account FriscoLive415, then shows the man with the backpack recrossing Castro Street and having some kind of exchange outside the Walgreens with the security guard. At that point, the employee can be seen emerging again, possibly with a weapon of some kind in his hand. After he and the shoplifting suspect exchange words, there is another physical confrontation and the suspect falls the ground and curls up in pain.

A second, more graphic video shows the bloody aftermath.

This all happened around 5 am Wednesday. The Chronicle reports that SFPD officers arrived on the scene and arrested the store employee, identified as 45-year-old Guang Hong, as well as the suspected shoplifter, who is identified as 30-year-old Larry Whitlock.

Hong is being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Whitlock was cited for battery and petty theft and taken to the hospital for his injuries.

Confrontations between employees and shoplifters at CVS and Walgreens stores have been unfortunately common in recent years in SF, and one such confrontation turned deadly two years ago. A hired security guard at a Walgreens on Market Street fatally shot 24-year-old Banko Brown, who was trying to exit the store with some stolen candy, after getting into a physical altercation.

A 26-year-old San Francisco man is in jail after being charged with 24 counts including second-degree commercial burglary and petty theft, in connection with 21 separate incidents at Walgreens and CVS stores.

The SF District Attorney's Office on Wednsday announced the arrest and arraignment of 26-year-old Miles Thomas. Thomas was arraigned Tuesday after being charged in connection with 21 retail theft incidents that occurred between May 2024 and March 6, 2025.

All of these alleged incidents occurred at three stores: the Walgreens at 1201 Taraval Street, the Walgreens at 1344 Stockton Street in Chinatown, and the CVS store at 701 Portola Avenue.

According to prosecutors, Thomas "almost exclusively stole dental hygiene products," and he allegedly stole over $1,000 worth of merchandise in each of two of the incidents.

In an August 28, 2024 incident at the Chinatown Walgreens, Thomas is "alleged to have stolen multiple items and pushed an employee out of the way who was trying to stop him." He later returned to the same store and allegedly pushed another employee who attempted to recover merchandise from him.

Employees described Thomas as always wearing distinctive sunglasses, and typically carrying a skateboard.

"Prolific thieves wreak havoc on our retail businesses and our communities," said SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a statement. "My office will continue to do everything we can to put a stop to these brazen acts by taking action to ensure that there is accountability, and thieves understand that they will face consequences."

Prosecutors successfully argued that Thomas should be held in custody pending trial, and a judge ruled, with prejudice, that no bail would be set.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 21.

Photo via Google Street View

• Earlier this week, seven Tesla charging stations in Boston and a Tesla dealership in France were set on fire; eight vehicles were destroyed and four others were badly damaged in the France incident. Meanwhile, 44 wheels were stolen off a bunch of Teslas at a Texas Amazon warehouse parking lot. [Independent, Jalopnik]
• A few Giants players weighed in on the new automated ball-strike system, which the team has experienced at some of its away games. Catcher Patrick Bailey said umpires are really good at their jobs and that ABS would chip away at his value as a catcher, and fellow catcher Max Stassi said he enjoys the human element: "Those guys back there put in hard work to be good at their craft.” [East Bay Times]
• Walgreens has been acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for nearly $10 billion as the chain continues to pare down its debt and attempts to turn the business around. [SFGate]
• The San Francisco Fire Department responded to an early-morning fire in the Richmond, which was reportedly in hoarding condition. [CBS News]
• A silver alert has been issued for Francisco Torres, 67, who was last seen in Napa at around 6 p.m. on Friday. [KRON4]
• Parents for Public Schools is having a town hall meeting on March 25 about SFUSD's impending school closures and job cuts. [Instagram]

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Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

As Walgreens shutters more locations this month, the city is exploring the idea of a pharmacy co-op model to prevent “pharmacy deserts" in low-income areas, via bulk purchasing and independent pharmacy partnerships.

According to Mission Local, Supervisor Jackie Fielder has tasked the Budget and Legislative Analyst with investigating how the city could support a pharmacy co-op network, allowing independent and city-run pharmacies to work together, potentially bypassing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who control drug pricing and reimbursements.

PBMs, which oversee 95% of U.S. prescriptions, have been criticized for squeezing independent pharmacies with opaque pricing and low reimbursements—issues that a Federal Trade Commission report confirmed are driving closures nationwide.

The analyst's investigation will also assess the feasibility of bulk medication purchasing by the Department of Public Health, which could help struggling local pharmacies avoid months-long waits for reimbursement from insurers. While city-run pharmacy co-ops are rare, KQED notes that the idea echoes Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus drug venture, which has apparently received mixed reviews.

With input from local pharmacy owners, the upcoming report will outline potential funding sources, operational needs, and legal hurdles for a co-op model. The results are expected in five to six months.

FYI: The 1524 Polk Street Walgreens location didn't end up closing!

Image: Joe's Pharmacy; Eskil O./Yelp

Previously: Walgreens Closing 12 SF Stores In Late February, Here’s a Map Showing Which Ones are Closing

On a quarterly earnings call, the CEO of Walgreens conceded that putting items behind lock and key has hurt the company’s sales, because no one wants to shop in a store where even the toothpaste is behind glass.

The retail pharmacy chain Walgreens (or rather, its parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance) had its quarterly earnings call on Friday, the day after announcing they were closing 1,200 stores nationwide, including 12 Walgreens stores in San Francisco.

And that earnings call explained why they’re closing so many stores, as Walgreens lost $245 million this quarter, compared to a loss of just $39 million in the same quarter of the previous year.    

Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth admitted on the call one big reason why their sales have slumped so much over the last year. Wentworth conceded that the stores’ wildly unpopular policy of locking up so many retail items to prevent shoplifting has also significantly hurt Walgreens sales, as CBS News reports.

“When you lock things up, for example, you don’t sell as many of them,” Wentworth said, according to a transcript of the call. “We’ve kind of proven that pretty conclusively.”

That said, Wentworth did not make any grand announcements about removing the locks in the chain’s ongoing struggle with shoplifting. "I don't have anything magnificent to share with you today,” he said. “It is a hand-to-hand combat battle still, unfortunately."

Admitting that locking up store items was a poor choice brings to mind a previous Walgreens CEO admission in January 2023 that "Maybe we cried too much” about shoplifting. Though in fairness, that was a different Walgreens CEO. The CEO who said "Maybe we cried too much” was then-CEO James Kehoe. Tim Wentworth replaced Kehoe as Walgreens CEO in October 2023.

Related: Walgreens Closing 12 SF Stores In Late February, Here’s a Map Showing Which Ones are Closing [SFist]

Image: Rich U via Yelp

Those 1,200 nationwide Walgreens closures are starting to kick in, and 12 Walgreens stores in SF will close in late February, including the one where Banko Brown was shot. The company blames high rent, but legal settlements probably have a hand in this too.

We all remember how the closure of nine SF Walgreens stores between 2021-24 brought a national media pile-on against San Francisco. But when Walgreens announced they were closing 1,200 stores nationwide this past October, you could not blame San Francisco for that. And those closures are now beginning, as the Chronicle reports that 12 SF Walgreens stores will be closing permanently, with their final days being somewhere between February 24-27, 2025, depending on the store.  

Here is a quick and dirty map showing which San Francisco Walgreens stores will be closing in late February. (Their specific street addresses can be found at the bottom of this post.) Union Square, Nob Hill, and the Sunset seem to be taking the brunt of the closures here. And yes, the closures include the Fourth and Market street Walgreens where Banko Brown was shot and killed in April 2023, as well as the "fancy" two-level Walgreens on Powell Street nearby.

Walgreens said in a statement to the Chronicle that “Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy,” which is corporate-speak that does not really explain much. KGO has additional remarks from Walgreens blaming "increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures" that have hurt their "ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs."

Unpacking this, we can all relate to high rent. But it’s surprising to see Walgreens cite staffing costs, as Walgreens staff do not strike me as being particularly well-paid — though we don’t know how much the pharmacists or any associated tech assistants make. And tellingly, Walgreens' announcement does not contain any of the usual “relocating staff to other stores” language that typically accompanies large chain-store closure announcements.

But that "increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures" part of their statement kind of stands out. We know that Walgreens (and CVS) paid a combined national $10 billion settlement for overprescribing opioids in November 2022, plus Walgreens paid another $230 settlement to the city of San Francisco for the same reason the following year. Just two months ago, Walgreens agreed to another $107 million settlement to the US Department of Justice for overbilling the US government.  

So one cannot discount the notion that Walgreens played too fast and loose for short-term profits, and now that they have to pay the piper for it, it's making their operating costs more difficult to bear.  

The locations of the 12 Walgreens that will be closing between February 24-27, 2025 are listed below:

• 1201 Taraval Street
• 3201 Divisadero Street
• 1363 Divisadero Street
• 825 Market Street
• 1750 Noriega Street
• 5280 Geary Boulevard
• 1524 Polk Street
• 1301 Franklin Street
• 1189 Potrero Avenue
• 135 Powell Street
• 1630 Ocean Avenue
• 5300 3rd Street

Related: Walgreens Closing 1,200 More Stores Nationwide, So This Is Not Just a San Francisco Thing [SFist]

Image: SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 05: Pedestrians walk by a Walgreens store on April 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. reported a 54 percent drop in second quarter earnings with profits of $930 million compared to $2.04 billion one year ago. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Eight minors from across the Bay Area, one of them only 12 years old, have been arrested and charged for 23 separate Walgreens robberies in which their estimated alleged stolen loot totaled $84,000 worth.  

It is stunning to think that one gang of Bay Area burglars could be behind 23 different Walgreens robberies, and made off with $84,000 worth of merchandise. It is even more stunning to learn that these eight suspects were all youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18 years old.

But SFPD clearly has a teen robbery crew on its hand here, and announced Thursday that eight young suspects had been arrested for the robbery spree that covered 23 different Walgreens heists. Only one of the suspects is 18 years old, Brandon McClain of Hayward. The rest were all 12-15 years old, and hail from San Francisco, Oakland, Oakley, and Pittsburg.

It was a September 16 robbery of the Walgreens at 24th Street and Potrero Avenue that helped SFPD unspool the case. Two of the suspects assaulted a store employee that day, giving the employee a serious head injury. Police recognized five of those suspects from an assault that had taken place earlier that day on 24th Street.

“A review of other incidents with the SFPD Burglary–Organized Retail Crime Unit led investigators to identify other incidents based on similarities in the suspect description, victim similarities, and modus operandi,” SFPD says in  their announcement. “Through the diligent work of investigators and Walgreens Asset Protection members, a total of eight suspects were determined to have been involved in at least 23 organized retail crime incidents at various Walgreens locations in San Francisco, totaling over $84,000 in stolen merchandise.”

The youths, all male, are being charged with robbery, burglary, grand theft, organized retail theft, and petty theft. A couple also face charges of assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to produce great bodily injury, and battery causing serious bodily injury.

While arrests have been made, this is still an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Related: Group of Suspects Ransacks and Robs Walgreens Store In Castro [SFist]

Image: FOX

After years of finger-pointing at San Francisco over a small handful of local Walgreens closures, the company now admits it just has way too many stores, and will be closing 1,200 more of them across the US.

The closure of nine San Francisco Walgreens stores since 2021 brought a national media pile-on saying the city was a hotbed of “organized retail crime.” But over time, Walgreens admitted that “maybe we cried too much” about shoplifting, that their security was ineffective, and that the chain had simply expanded to too many store locations that were cannibalizing each others’ business.

And that seems to be validated by Tuesday morning’s news that Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores nationwide, as CBS News MoneyWatch reports.

The announcement came on a Tuesday morning investor call from Walgreens’ parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance. They said they will close 500 stores in the next fiscal year (which is actually next year), and 1,200 stores total over the next three years. The Associated Press reports Walgreens lost $3 billion this quarter, though ironically, the AP describes those losses as “better-than-expected quarterly results.”

The 1,200 stores represent 14% of all Walgreens locations in the US. The company has not yet detailed which locations will close.

People are having a few laughs over this, but Walgreens stock has jumped by nearly 12% on the news. So that’s great for shareholders, until you consider that Walgreens stock has plummeted by 84% since 2019.

"The closure of so many stores is emblematic of a company that is in trouble and is trying to course correct," GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders told MoneyWatch. “Walgreens spent years building its business through acquisitions and completely neglected the fundamentals of its stores and its retail operations.”

And the fundamentals of Walgreens are not the shampoo bottles, dental floss, and convenience store items you see kept behind lock and key in these parts. Most of Walgreens’ revenue comes from their pharmacies, which are performing more poorly than during the pandemic and pre-pandemic. State and federal drug reimbursement rates have lowered, and the guaranteed MediCare of the pandemic has expired.

As evidence of this broader contraction in the brick-and-mortar pharmacy market, CVS is also in dire straits and in the process of closing 900 stores, and Rite-Aid just went through bankruptcy proceedings.

Walgreens has had other challenges too. The company has had to pay massive settlements for overprescribing opioids and Theranos consumer fraud cases.

But maybe it's good that San Francisco had its Walgreens closures before the rest of the country. Because we already have empty Walgreens spaces turning into new, locally owned businesses that may provide more community value.

Related: Walgreens CEO Says 'Maybe We Cried Too Much' About Shoplifting, Acknowledges Private Security Didn't Work [SFist]

Image: Exterior facade of Walgreens with store signage, San Francisco, California, August 20, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Is it a "doom loop" when an SF Walgreens closes, but a locally owned fresh produce market pops up in its place? That's what's happening, as Casa Guadalupe has filed permits to move into the former Walgreens at Mission and Cesar Chavez.

At the height of the Chesa Boudin-era SF Walgreens hysteria, when San Francisco Walgreens closures were all obsessively covered by the national media, top Walgreens brass announced in October 2021 that the closure of five SF Walgreens stores was because of “organized retail crime.” It got less attention when Walgreens execs walked that statement back a year or so later, as indeed, Walgreens had announced way back in 2019 that they were closing those 200 stores nationwide.

One of those five SF Walgreens that closed in 2021 was the location at 3400 Cesar Chavez Street (at Mission Street), seen above. It was not often mentioned that this particular Walgreens was one of three Walgreens on a seven-block stretch of Mission Street, so maybe that part of Mission-Bernal was just plain oversaturated with Walgreens locations.

But what’s this? That same storefront has been undergoing a massive facelift in recent weeks. And over this weekend, awning signage was added promoting “Produtos Mexicanos Centroamericano Y Sudamericanos.”

Documents with the SF Planning Department show that the new tenant is Casa Guadalupe Supermarket, which has two nearby locations at 2909 Mission Street (at 25th Street) and 2999 Mission Street (at 26th Street).

Casa Guadalupe representative Pedro Gil tells SFist the new store is slated to open in October 2024, but adds that is "TBD."

Though that sign above is promising “Cervezas.” And indeed, application materials submitted to the SF Planning Department show this incoming Casa Guadalupe location has applied for a Type 21 ABC license, which would allow to-go retail sales of beer, wine, and liquor.

Peeking inside, we do see some shelving being installed at the 3400 Cesar Chavez Street location.

But if this new Casa Guadalupe is opening, what does that mean for the other two Casa Guadalupe locations within just two blocks?

The Casa Guadalupe at 25th and Mission streets has already permanently closed. A Wednesday morning visit there showed the place locked up and gated during business hours.

Moreover, there’s a sign on the door saying “Thank you to everybody who has shopped with us. Casa Gaudalupe is moving to 3400 Cesar Chavez St.”

As for the Casa Guadalupe at 26th and Mission streets, the one with the array of national flags up top and the La Doña SF Giants mural, they are still very much open and operating. Gil tells SFist that the "2999 Mission store will remain open."

There are a few other new additions coming to that Mission-Bernal stretch of Mission Street, the area that people once tried to rename “La Lengua.” A shuttered Bank of America at 3250 Mission Street (near 29th Street), which closed in early 2023, is being reborn as the colorful new market Chaparral Supermercado, which also has a store in San Jose.

This seems like a nicer-looking storefront than a Bank of America. The neighborhood is also getting a new arthouse movie theater at Mission and 29th Streets called The Portal, the burnt-out former 3300 Club is being rebuilt as affordable housing, and new restaurants Komaaj and Four Chairs have brought so much hype to that corner that the local press has been calling it the “coolest” block of San Francisco.

The new Casa Guadalupe will be one block from this so-called “coolest” block. But its opening in a former Walgreens shows that Mission-Bernal is certainly not in any kind of “doom loop,” as its most visible vacancies are getting filled up with fresh produce.    

Note: This post has been updated wih comment from Casa Guadalupe management.

Related: Walgreens CEO Says 'Maybe We Cried Too Much' About Shoplifting, Acknowledges Private Security Didn't Work [SFist]

Image: Joe Kukura, SFist

After being asked by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to review a decision by District Attorney Brooke Jenkins not to file charges in the April 2023 shooting of Banko Brown by a Walgreens security guard, the California Attorney General's Office has come back with a response, one year later.

Jenkins made the controversial decision days after the shooting not to charge 33-year-old security guard Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony. Brown was shot on April 27, 2023 just outside the door of the Walgreens on Market Street near Union Square. Brown, a 24-year-old trans man, had allegedly been shoplifting candy, and was seen on surveillance video getting into a physical altercation with Anthony, who ended up shooting Brown and saying that he felt his life was in danger.

At the time, Jenkins said, "The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense."

In late May, 2023, the California Attorney General's office agreed to look into the evidence in the case and make a determination if Jenkins made the correct charging decision. Supervisor Aaron Peskin even introduced a formal resolution urging AG Rob Bonta to act, as well as the federal Department of Justice.

It's been a full year, but now the Chronicle has obtained a letter from the AG's office to the board. In it, Deputy Attorney General Peter Flores Jr. says that Jenkins's decision was justifiable — or, at least, they can't say she "abused [her] discretion" in making it.

Flores said the office had "carefully reviewed" all the evidence in the case, and "Based on that review and taking all of the circumstances into consideration, we cannot say that the San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office abused its discretion in declining to file criminal charges against security guard Michael Anthony."

The outrage was quick and loud over the shooting of Brown, particularly because it seemed so unnecessary and senseless — this happened over $14 worth of stolen candy, and Brown was reportedly frequently homeless. Also, while the surveillance video, which was released over a week after Jenkins's charging decision, showed a testy, very physical fight that occurred between Brown and Anthony, it didn't visually look like a fair fight — Anthony was far larger than Brown and easily took him down to the ground when the scuffle began.

When Anthony spoke with investigators, he indicated that Brown was verbally threatening to kill him, and that he could not be sure Brown was not armed.

The case also prompted surprise over the fact that a Walgreens security guard would be armed with a deadly weapon at all.

The case prompted legislation that was introduced last fall by Supervisor Dean Preston that would make it illegal for a security guard to unholster a weapon in San Francisco in the protection of property.

A civil case brought by Brown's family is ongoing,

Previously: Video of Banko Brown Shooting Released as DA Jenkins Announces Final Decision Not to File Charges Against Security Guard

The national pharmacy chain Walgreens has made its generic version of Narcan available over the counter, and it's $10 cheaper than name-brand Narcan, and apparently already available at a few SF stores.

The tragic spike in fentanyl overdose deaths is not just a San Francisco problem, its happening all over the country. So lawmakers are keen to make the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan as readily available as possible, as the nasal spray whose technical name is naloxone is incredibly easy to use. But it ain’t cheap, as the version Walgreens started selling last September retails for $45 for a two-dose package.

But KRON4 reports that Walgreens has just launched their cheaper new generic version of Narcan, and it will be available over-the-counter and without a prescription. The Walgreens version is priced at $34.99, which still seems steep, but is at least some movement in the right direction.

According to KRON4, “the product is available online,” and “will be available in stores, chain-wide by the end of the month.” But SFist did a search on the Walgreens website (seen below), and this $35 Walgreens Narcan is already listed as available at the Stanyan and Parnassus streets store, the Divisadero and & O'Farrell streets store, and the Castro Walgreens at 18th Street.

“As a leading healthcare services company rooted in a retail pharmacy footprint, Walgreens is committed to removing barriers to naloxone access,” Walgreens senior medical director Dr. Priya Mammen said in a release. “As an emergency physician, I have for years combatted the devastating impacts of the opioid overdose epidemic and worked tirelessly to save lives. Expanding access to naloxone is a critical step in empowering individuals, families, and communities to act and be part of the solution. We must all confront this crisis head-on to bring change.”

According to KRON4, the generic Walgreens Narcan will be available "in the pain aisle."

In San Francisco, people can still get free naloxone from the city's Department of Public Health. You just need to stop by the Behavioral Health Services Pharmacy at 1380 Howard Street in SoMa on weekdays between 9 am and 6:30 pm, or on weekends between 9 am and noon, or between 1 pm and 4:30 pm.

GLIDE also provides free naloxone between 9 am and 1 pm, Tuesday through Friday, on the Taylor Street side of 330 Ellis Street.

Related: Narcan Everywhere: Haney Introduces Bill To Require Narcan In Bars, Gas Stations, Libraries, SROs [SFist]

Image: via Walgreens

Another brazen Walgreens shoplifting heist was captured on video Sunday, as burglars emptied the shelves of the Ninth and Market street store, but police did not respond to the incident until four hours later.

We’ve long wisecracked that the Civic Center Walgreens at Ninth and Market streets is “San Francisco's worst Walgreens.” Its reputation will not be helped by a Monday night KPIX report that this Walgreens was ransacked by shoplifters at about 4:30 pm on Easter Sunday afternoon. The plundering was captured on video, but what may be more newsworthy here is that SFPD did not respond until four hours after the incident.  

The KPIX report is seen above, and the video was taken by an unidentified KPIX producer who just happened to be shopping in the store. There are at least a half-dozen culprits, masked and concealing their faces with hoodies. They seem to be aware that they’re being recorded, though as is the case with many of these Walgreens thefts, there is no visible response or intervention by store security.

We understand that Walgreens security guards may have limited their hands-on engagement since last April’s Banko Brown shooting, but there is no visible security presence seen in this video.

"End of the day on Easter Sunday should have been pleasant,” the KPIX producer, who declined to give his name, told the station. “Instead I was shocked to see looters taking what they pleased with no regard for the law, or those around them, real-life smash and grab."

Another thing we may be shocked to see is that SFPD did not respond to the incident for four hours. KPIX did get an emailed statement about the incident from SFPD, which they paraphrase as saying “officers responded at about 8:38 p.m. to a report of a group of people stealing from a business on the 1300 block of Market Street.” So that’s about a solid four hours after the incident took place.

But KPIX also adds that “Officers arrived to find the business was closed and no one was there to report the incident.” Admittedly, we are missing the crucial piece of information of what time police were called. But this sure could feed into the “Police did nothing” narrative we’ve heard before.

That district’s supervisor Matt Dorsey, a former SF Police public relations rep who sees giving the police more money as the solution to every SF problem, says this sort of thing can be prevented if we hire more police officers.

"If we had a fully staffed police department, we could have a robbery unit that was doing more enforcement in places where retail theft plays out, holding more people accountable and doing more to go after the fencing operations that make this lucrative," Dorsey told KPIX.

That station estimates that 17 San Francisco Walgreens locations have closed since 2019, most recently in February in the Financial District. Though many of these closures were announced in 2019 after the chain had over-expanded, and it's debatable whether shoplifting played a major role in the closures.  

Related: Group of Suspects Ransacks and Robs Walgreens Store In Castro [SFist]

Image: Kevin Y. via Yelp