We still don't know who the brains are behind the operation, but three young men from Tennessee were indicted by a federal grand jury and may lead investigators to the co-conspirator or co-conspirators who guided them to holders of large sums of crypto in California.

The three men in their 20s from Tennessee who were earlier identified by federal investigators — 21-year-old Elijah Armstrong, 21-year-old Nino Chindavanh, and 25-year-old Jayden Rucker — have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and robbery in connection with multiple violent incidents in the Bay Area and Los Angeles in November and December 2025.

We learned in early April that all three had been arrested, with court documents begining to fill in the pieces of the puzzling and scary home-invasion robbery that occurred near San Francisco's Dolores Park on November 22. In that incident, someone linked to Sam Altman's ex Lachy Groom was robbed at gunpoint of $13 million in cryptocurrency, with the lone perpetrator posing as a package delivery person before pushing his way into the home.

San Francisco police say that the victim was tied up with duct tape and assaulted until he gave up his crypto wallet passwords — and the suspect was in contact the whole time with another man on a cellphone with a raspy (or digitally altered) voice. Investigators said they linked at least one of the cellphones involved to a Washington state man with a criminal history who has not yet been identified or charged.

A new press release from the Department of Justice, detailing the indictments against the three men, does not mention any unidentified co-conpirators, and it's unclear which of the men committed the San Francisco heist.

Chindavanh was arrested in December in Sunnyvale after allegedly posing as a DoorDash driver and attempting to push his way into a victim's home with a gun. Armstrong and Rucker were arrested in Los Angeles after a robbery similar to the one that occurred in San Francisco, involving zip ties and crypto wallets, but where a second victim who was hiding managed to summon police while the robbery was still in progress.

"These individuals, as alleged, terrorized their victims in the hopes of stealing vast sums of cryptocurrency," says US Attorney Craig H. Missakian in a staement. "The scheme was not only sophisticated, it was brazen, violent, and dangerous. I want to commend our law enforcement partners for the quick work done in identifying and apprehending these individuals and assure the public that we will not let our guard down and continue to do all we can to ensure this does not happen again."

All three are now charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery — with the Hobbs Act being the federal law that prohibits robbery or extortion that affects interstate or foreign commerce — as well as conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, and attempted Hobbs Act robbery.

Armstrong and Rucker are making appearances in federal court in San Francisco today, before US Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. Chindavanh has his next court appearance on June 26.

Perhaps because the first and most successful of the robberies, the November heist at the home near Dolores Park, occurred in San Francisco, all three men are being tried in a San Francisco federal court.

It's not clear if any of the victims had their crypto holdings restored, but the federal indictment only mentions one theft of $6.5 million worth of crypto that was transferred into a wallet belonging to the co-conspirators. There is no mention of the $13 million that was allegedly stolen from the San Francisco victim.

Previously: Three Tennessee Men Arrested In Connection With Crypto Heist Near Dolores Park

Three arrests have been made and authorities are reportedly still looking for the criminal or criminals in charge of a crypto theft ring that allegedly plotted "wrench attacks" on multiple holders of cryptocurrency fortunes on the West Coast.

Three Tennessee men have been arrested in connection with a November home-invasion robbery at a home near Dolores Park, where a man posing a package delivery person strong-armed his way into the home and violently assaulted a victim until he revealed passwords to multiple crypto accounts. The thief, who appeared to be working other remote accomplices, reportedly made off with $13 million in cryptocurrency, and it's unclear if any of that has been recovered.

The Chronicle now reports that the three suspects, working with a higher-level ringleader or multiple ringleaders, are suspected in a string of crypto robbery plots, with the November theft in San Francisco being the only successful one. The trio conducted or attempted multiple so-called wrench attacks — named for this web comic that jokes about the most practical way to steal a person's crypto wealth involves a $5 wrench and violence — in Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Los Angeles, all around the same time as the SF incident.

The three suspects have been identified as 21-year-old Nino Chindavanh, Elijah Armstrong, and Jayden Rucker — both of whose ages haven't been publicized — who are all residents of Tennessee and clearly working together. Rucker's wallet was allegedly found by police in a car being driven by Chindavanh after he was arrested in Sunnyvale following an alleged attack there on December 22. And Armstrong and Rucker were arrested together in Los Angeles the week after Christmas after a foiled home invasion there.

Per the Chronicle report, which comes from police documents and sources close to the investigation, the trio used the same basic methods in all of the attacks. They or their higher-ups allegedly hacked into the victims' UberEats or DoorDash accounts, after identifying the victims as holders of large crypto sums. They then would pick up similar food or beverage orders from the businesses involved and make deliveries to the victims' homes when they were expecting them.

In the case of the San Francisco plot, two pizzas were found outside the victim's home, which were part of some backup plan, because the suspect in that case succeeded in getting the victim to the door with a fake UPS delivery instead. As we learned in a February report, the suspect, after binding the victim with duct tape, contacted another man with a reportedly raspy voice on the phone who gave instructions for logging into the victim's accounts and transferring funds — a total of $13 million.

In the Los Angeles incident in late December, the suspect brought a package to the victim's Brentwood home, and while at the door, asked if he could have a glass a water. The victim complied, and the suspect followed him into the house, pointed a gun at him, and bound him in zip ties, demanding his crypto passwords.

A second suspect arrived, and as happened in the San Francisco attack, the pair called a third operative over the phone who gave instructions about logging into the crypto account. According to police, the other operative may have been using a voice modulator to disguise their voice, and they became angry when it appeared that the account they logged into didn't show the real sum they believed the victim to have. This other suspect told the two suspects in the room to cut off the victim's fingers until he gave up his real account, but at that point, the suspects were spooked by a helicopter overhead and fled the house.

The police had, in fact, been called by a female witness who was hiding a pantry, as the Chronicle reports, and this led to the arrests of Rucker and Armstrong.

Chindavanh was arrested after pushing his way into the Sunnyvale victim's home with a DoorDash coffee order, and brandishing a gun. The victim in that case pushed back, and Chindavanh, only to be arrested by Santa Clara County

As we learned earlier, authorities have linked at least one of the phone numbers used in the San Francisco heist to a Washington state man who has not been publicly identified, but who apparently has a "long history of criminal charges." That man be in fact be the ringleader of the operation, who employed lower-level operatives to conduct the riskiest aspects of the crimes.

As the Chronicle notes, the nature of crypto allows authorities to theoretically trace any transactions that have taken place, and to recover stolen sums, though it's not clear that this has happened yet in this case.

All together, the cases highlight the vulnerability of those who hold crypto wealth, and whose identities can be easily traced to that wealth.

Previously: Details Emerge In November Home Invasion Crypto Robbery In SF

Top image: Doorbell camera footage of the masked suspect in the San Francisco case.

A robbery suspect posing as a package delivery person forced their way into a victim's home Saturday evening at gunpoint, and made off with a major crypto haul.

In what was pretty clearly a planned and targeted robbery, San Francisco police say that the suspect knocked on the victim's door or rang their doorbell near 18th and Dolores streets at around 6:45 pm Saturday, pretending to be a package delivery person.

As the Chronicle reports, when the victim answered the door, the suspect asked the victim to sign for the package, and when the victim went looking for a pen, the suspect brandished a gun and forced their way into the home, tying up the victim with duct tape.

In order to steal cryptocurrency, presumably, the suspect would have had to force the victim to give up their password or other login information, but other details of the crime were not available.

The thief allegedly stole the victim's laptop, cellphone, and $11 million in cryptocurrency.

Per the Chronicle, the police report they obtained did not indicate whether the victim was injured in any way, and it's not clear whether any arrests have been made.

Update: The victim was reportedly a friend of Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, and he posted surveillance video of the suspect, whose face is mostly obscured, approaching the victim's door. Tan has since deleted this tweet, it appears.

More details likely to come.

Photo by Ales Nesitril

An earlier version of this post, based on Chronicle reporting, had the robbery occurring at 6:45 am, but it appears to have occurred in evening hours.

A 25-person mob committed an armed robbery at a jewelry store in San Ramon on Monday, ransacking the store and reportedly making off with $1 million worth of merchandise. The crime is part of a larger pattern repeating itself across California.

Heller Jewelry Store at the Bishop Ranch complex in San Ramon was robbed Monday afternoon in broad daylight by a large group of around 25 masked individuals, at least three of them armed with guns. As ABC 7 reports, and as seen in surveillance video, the thieves used crowbars to smash glass cases, and stole an estimated $1 million in jewels.

One of the armed suspects reportedly fired multiple rounds from inside the store in order to shatter the glass of a door to escape. The door apparently locked behind the suspects once they entered, which was a security feature of the store.

San Ramon police said Wednesday that they had arrested seven suspects so far, with the help of surveillance and drone video — and much like crimes like this that have happened around the Bay Area in recent years, the getaway vehicles are usually not hard to track down, and there are probably a half dozen or more in this case.

Officers with the San Ramon PD initiated a chase of some of the suspect vehicles, which were parked in a valet area about 100 feet from the store, but when speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour, the chases were abandoned and drones were employed.

Oakland police assisted with four of the arrests, as ABC 7 reports, with three adults and a juvenile arrested in Oakland. Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies arrested three other adults at the Dublin BART station. The arrested suspects ranged in age from 17 to 31, and all seven are reportedly Oakland residents.

Lt. Mike Pistello of the San Ramon Police Department suggested that this was an experienced group, and that the crime required planning.

"This is not their first time doing something like this," Pistello tells ABC 7.

And, as the station subsequently reported, this heist is one of 30 similar jewelry store robberies in California since March.

Jewelry store security specialist Scott Guginsky tells ABC 7, "This is something I haven't seen in my 30-plus years of investigating jewelry crime with the NYPD, and 14 years with the Jewelers Security Alliance. I've never seen this level of violence."

Police point to the rising price of gold, which is now approaching $4,000 per ounce, as one reason the frequency of these heists has risen.

A smash-and-grab robbery involving a vehicle going through the front glass and a similarly large mob of suspects occurred September 5 at Kim Hung Jewelry in San Jose. And a group of thieves also smashed their way into Fine Jewelry inside a mall in Milpitas on September 10.

The community of San Ramon was disturbed enough by Monday's robbery that they were planning a rally this morning, as NBC Bay Area reports, calling on state and local leaders to take action.

Related: Union Square Chanel Store Rammed by Car In Apparent Smash-and-Grab Attempt

Video image via Heller Jewelry/San Ramon PD

Six people were shot Wednesday evening, two of them fatally, in a shootout between the staff at an East Oakland pawn shop and five armed suspects attempting to rob the place, according to police.

The incident took place around 7:45 pm Wednesday inside Eddy Oakland Cash 4 Gold on the 7100 block of International Boulevard.

According to Oakland police, two employees pressed a silent alarm button when five armed suspects stormed the shop, and the shop owner, along with the two employees, engaged in a shoout out with the suspects.

Police arrived on the scene within minutes and found six people with gunshot wounds, as KRON4 reports. One of the robbery suspects died at the scene, and another later died at the hospital.

One of the store employees was unharmed, but the owner and another employee were both injured.

As KTVU reports, via a friend of the shop owner, he is expected to survive, and the injured employee suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Police say that they recovered multiple shell casings and several weapons at the scene.

The Oakland Police Department was planning a press conference about the incident later on Thursday.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement that she was aware and "deeply frustrated" by the news, and noted the suspects came from outside Oakland.

"Last night's attempted robbery at the Cash 4 Gold store by suspects from outside Oakland that resulted in two deaths and four injuries is tragic, unacceptable and outrageous," Mayor Lee said. "Oakland Police have confirmed that all five suspects involved in this incident were from outside our city. While this tragic event highlights the broader regional challenges we face, it also underscores our commitment to protecting Oakland's residents, workers, and business owners who deserve to be safe and feel safe in their own community."

Lee added, "We remain committed to our public safety investments and working around the clock with law enforcement and community partners.”

An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact OPD’s Homicide Section at 510-238-3821 or call the tip line at 510-238-7950.

Photo via Citizen app

Three East Bay men are in custody in Florida after an alleged robbery attempt Friday at a seller of Apple products that ended with a chase and a police shooting.

A trio of alleged would-be thieves from the Bay Area have likely gotten themselves in more trouble by flying to Florida to commit a robbery than they would have if they'd done the same thing here. And it sounds like the cops in Sweetwater, Florida have no problems shooting at robbery suspects who are trying to flee.

The attempted robbery happened on Friday just after 10:45 am, at an industrial park in Sweetwater, Florida. According to the FBI, the three suspects had all flown into Miami two days earlier, and investigators say they flew there specifically to commit this crime.

A van with a still unidentified driver dropped the three men off at the unnamed business, where they allegedly confronted an employee standing outside. Brandishing weapons — which turned out to be non-lethal airsoft guns — and wearing white rubber masks like Michael Myers in the Halloween franchise, they allegedly forced the employee into a garage space that is part of the business, where five other employees were working.

The trio then allegedly zip-tied the employees and began loading Apple products into a bedsheet.

According to authorities, one of the suspects obtained the keys to a van belonging to the business, and the trio was getting into the getaway vehicle when police arrived on the scene and began shooting. As WPLG/Local 10 reports, a bullet hit one of the suspects, 42-year-old Eric Chase of Oakland, in the leg.

The thieves were in such a hurry to leave, in fact, that they left behind the bedsheet, which reportedly had about $170,000 worth of apple products in it.

The trio then allegedly took off in the van, leading police on a chase to the town of Medley, another suburb of Miami, about eight miles away. There, the van became disabled, and all three men were arrested.

Authorities say that while fleeing, the suspects tossed a mask and a black, police-style vest out of the van.

The other two suspects are identified as Aaron Brown, 35, of Oakland; and Ranier Landry, 27, of Hayward.

The FBI noted that surveillance footage from the scene showed Brown's pants "significantly sagging" and showing some distinct, neon green underwear — which he was found wearing upon his arrest, linking him further to the crime.

The three now face charges of Hobbs Act robbery — a federal crime that typically involves crossing state lines and disrupting interstate commerce — in addition to carjacking and other charges.

They were being held in Miami-Dade County, but were expected to be moved to the Broward County jail to be held on behalf of the US Marshals Service.

A cafe worker in the Mission District is being hailed as a hero for jumping out from behind the counter to pummel a would-be backpack thief Friday morning and hold him until police arrived.

The incident happened at Carlin's Cafe at Valencia and 14th streets around 6:45 am on Friday, and as Mission Local reports, it was cafe worker Nick Grant who sprang into action as soon as the masked assailant entered the cafe and grabbed a customer's backpack and sprayed bear mace in the customer's direction.

In surveillance video, you can see Grant push a service cart full of pastry boxes into the suspect, and then grab him and begin pummeling him with punches. The suspect also sprayed bear mace into Grant's face, temporarily blinding him, and he says he's still having breathing problems from it.

A neighbor walking by, Jim Carroll, who had seen the masked assailant enter the cafe and then the ensuing fight, also sprang into action and ran into the cafe.

As Carroll tells KPIX, "I was on the phone with 911 and I tried to assess the situation and figure out which one was the robber. I figured out which one it was and put my arm around his neck."

Both Caroll and Grant held the assailant down until police arrived and took him into custody. Carroll also got bear-sprayed.

Grant, who says he was raised by Marines, tells Mission Local, "Luckily I had the background and training to be that right guy at the right time."

Cafe owner Matt Carlin, whose grandfather originally ran this cafe, tells Mission Local that Grant insisted on coming back into work for his Saturday morning shift, adding, "We need more people like him."

Apparently the customer whose backpack was saved from being robbed was back in the cafe early Saturday, and Grant says they're now on a first-name basis. As he tells Mission Local, "Before yesterday I just knew him as ‘ham egg and bagel guy.'"

According to the SFPD, the suspect was briefly hospitalized for injuries unrelated to the incident, and he was booked on multiple charges.

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

A San Francisco man was arrested and charged with two September armed robberies that turned into assaults involving sex workers and johns in Oakland's unofficial red-light district.

Much like San Francisco has certain blocks of Shotwell Street, and formerly Capp Street, in the Mission that are known for sex workers plying their trade, Oakland has International Boulevard and certain blocks surrounding it that become a red-light district every night.

As San Francisco police have done in the last couple of years, Oakland police installed barricades on East 15th Street last year to deter rampant sex work there. But, the sex workers just moved elsewhere — as they did in SF. And this latest story comes from a September 10 incident that occurred on East 10th Street in Oakland, where a john may have driven with a sex worker to have an intimate encounter.

As Bay Area News Group reports, a suspect armed with a knife confronted the man and the woman inside the car, demanded their money, stealing $250 in cash, but after he demanded the male victim's car keys, the victim fought back, sliced his hand on the knife while trying to grab it, and then drove off, leaving the suspect and the female victim behind. The suspect then allegedly demanded a blowjob from the woman at knifepoint — and the encounter was captured on surveillance video.

Eight days later, on September 18, a second, similar incident occurred one block away. The assailant in that incident similarly attacked a sex worker and a john who were getting down to business, stealing money and condoms from them, and then forced the sex worker to orally pleasure him.

Oakland police officers, who have been enagaged in a "surge" in recent months cracking down on sex-trafficking and sex work along International Boulevard, were nearby when the September 18 incident occurred, and a witness called 911 as it was unfolding.

The officers apparently confronted the suspect as he was assaulting the sex worker, but he fled on foot and managed to lose them, as Bay Area News Group reports. This time, though, he left behind his car, a Kia Sportage.

Using that, and phone records, police were able to identify the suspect as 54-year-old Cory Butler of San Francisco.

There is some online evidence of a Cory Butler having a history of law enforcement encounters and incarceration in San Francisco, though it's unclear if it is the same person.

Butler has been arraigned and he pleaded not guilty to a slew of felonies including kidnapping, forcible oral copulation, robbery, and attempted carjacking. And Butler apparently has a prior second degree robbery conviction. He's being held at Santa Rita Jail.

Bay Area News Group reports that Butler's attorney filed a motion to prevent Butler from being compelled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing — a move that's being interpreted as making it more difficult for victims to identify him.

It's not clear if police believe Butler may be linked to more than just these two September assaults and robberies.

An Australian grain executive on a business trip in San Francisco appeared as if he had been met with some kind of violence, and was put into an induced coma after arriving in a local hospital last week. But the SFPD says surveillance images suggest otherwise.

Grain Producers Australia chief executive Colin Bettles was staying at an unnamed hotel in San Francisco on July 4 and had apparently just arrived in town when the incident occurred. As Australian news outlet The Age reports, Bettles "dropped his bags at his hotel before heading out for a pizza with some colleagues" last Thursday, and then never made it back to his hotel.

His significant other in Australia did not raise alarms for several days, reportedly, because she had been working in an area with spotty cell reception. It was only after Bettles did not make it onto a scheduled flight to New York that she reported him missing, and called on a longtime friend and Bettles's former employer, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack, to raise alarms through Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs.

Bettles's family believes that he was attacked on his way back to his hotel on July 4, and he was left in the street with "severe injuries to his head and a fractured eye socket." A passerby called 911, and Bettles was taken to the hospital. An earlier report suggested that Bettles was found without identification, and without his cellphone, but that turns out not to have been the case, the SFPD says.

"He’s an all-round good guy," says McCormack, speaking to The Age. "No one deserves what has happened to him."

The SFPD has not confirmed where Bettles was staying on July 4, but they have said that Bettles was found on Market Street, injured, with his belongings intact — he had his wallet and cellphone when he arrived at SF General.

Bettles was in the intesive care unit for five days but it sounds like he may be out and is now "recovering," according to McCormack.

There seems to have been some lack of communication within the SFPD, because a spokesperson said Wednesday that the department was still seeking help from the public about the case, but on Thursday they said there is no case, and they do not believe that Bettles encountered any violence.

As KRON4 reports, the SFPD is particularly incensed by a report from the UK Daily Mail saying that Bettles was "bashed by thugs."

"The investigation revealed that Bettles was found unconscious on the 1000 block of Market Street shortly after 11 pm on July 4. Paramedics transported him to San Francisco General Hospital," the SFPD said in a statement. "SFPD reviewed surveillance video from the scene and found no indication that Bettles was assaulted or the victim of a crime. He was in possession of his property at the hospital."

This post has been updated with new information from the SFPD.

Oakland police are sounding the alarm about an increase in smash-and-grab robberies occurring while people are driving their cars.

Thieves are brazenly approaching occupied cars that are either stopped in traffic or waiting on the street, then breaking passenger-side windows and grabbing visible items, according to a new Oakland Police Department memo.

Overall, robberies in Oakland have risen by 32% this year so far — a total of 715 incidents in 2024, compared to 540 over the same time period last year, per KTVU. However, at the same time, burglaries have decreased by nearly 50%, with 1,853 incidents compared to the 3,480 in the same period last year.

It seems that thieves are more tending toward crimes of opportunity involving cars, regardless of whether they have occupants still inside.

OPD said it is "actively investigating and tracking this current trend," as well as deploying more officers in hotspots. But police didn’t say whether these robberies were armed, or which neighborhoods were being targeted specifically.

KPIX talked to one woman who lived in Highland Park in East Oakland who was the victim of one of these smash-and-grabs. She told KPIX that “the whole thing happened in 10 seconds,” and the robber made off with her purse, although she was uninjured.

The woman added that when she called the police, it took a long time to get through to anyone, and when she did, she was told that there were 200 pending calls ahead of her, including some reports of the same suspects.

Oakland’s emergency response system has been overtaxed for years — both 911 wait times and police response times have long been an issue for the city, per the Standard. In 2023, police response times were so bad that the state reportedly threatened to withhold funds if they didn’t improve.

Meanwhile, it's been well over a year since Oakland has had a permanent chief of police after former Chief LeRonne Armstrong was removed from the job amid an internal affairs scandal, as we previously reported.

The rise in crime generally in Oakland has led to recall campaigns against both Mayor Sheng Thao and District Attorney Pamela Price, both of whom took office in 2023.

Related: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Thumbs Nose at Police Commission, Says She Will Not Attend Forum With Candidates

Photo via Unsplash

Photo: Google Street View

The SFPD made multiple arrests last week in connection with organized retail thefts in the city, but two incidents happened at the same store, the Lululemon at 2040 Fillmore Street.

Four people have been charged in two separate incidents of organized retail theft at the Pacific Heights Lululemon location, involving a total of over $22,000 worth of merchandise.

We heard yesterday from District Attorney Brooke Jenkins that two people, SF resident Shaka Jinks, 24, and San Mateo resident Breanna Jones, 18, had been charged with organized retail theft, grand theft, and second-degree commercial burglary, among other charges. Jinks and Jones are believed to have been part of a group of nine individuals who flash-mobbed the Lululemon on September 21, stealing a total of $7,290 worth of clothing items.

The SFPD arrested Jinks and Jones along with two juveniles shortly after the robbery, and the department posted photos of the seized merchandise.

The department had also just arrested three individuals in connection with another $100,000 worth of stolen goods.

On Thursday, the DA's office announced charges against two more San Francisco residents for a September 20 retail theft that apparently also occurred at that Lululemon store. 18-year-old Darrell Luckett and 21-year-old Corina Fitch have been charged with second-degree commercial burglary in connection with the theft of 136 pairs of leggings worth approximately $15,000.

"As our city continues to combat brazen retail theft, my office will work diligently to hold those who are arrested for these crimes accountable," said Jenkins in a statement. "We cannot ignore the impact that this type of crime is having on our retail businesses, their employees and everyday shoppers."

Both Luckett and Fitch, the DA's office said, were arraigned on Wednesday and were released on their own recognizance — despite prosecutors' motion to keep them detained. They've been ordered to stay 150 yards away from the Lululemon store.

Jinks and Jones were also released and ordered to stay away from the store. The DA's office noted that both were on release for separate crimes when they allegedly took part in the burglary last week.

San Francisco police say a group of juveniles has been implicated in nearly a dozen robberies, often targeting women on the street, in Noe Valley and NoPa.

There was a town hall meeting hosted by the SFPD Thursday to discuss a string of violent attacks on women, sometimes mothers or caregivers with children, in Noe Valley and beyond. As the Chronicle reports, the same group is believed to be responsible for 11 such attacks which began on Monday.

School's out for summer, I guess!

Some of the robberies were conducted with the use of a stolen getaway car, described as a silver sedan. Police say they located and towed that vehicle, and one of the juveniles was arrested. The rest are still being sought, and police say they will be increasing patrols in Noe Valley.

"It’s encouraging that the department has made an arrest, and I’m hopeful they will apprehend the others soon," Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said, speaking to the Chronicle. "In the meantime, I’m grateful for the captain’s commitment to increased patrols in Noe."

Supervisor Catherine Stefani also told the Chronicle that she had heard about an attack on two women in her district, which spans the Marina and Pac Heights.

"I am incredibly alarmed by this and think it highlights the need for increased police presence in the area, especially given what is happening in Noe Valley," Stefani tells the Chronicle. "Ensuring the security and well-being of residents, particularly women, is top priority for me and I have asked SFPD to step up patrols in the area."

According to SFPD stats, assaults are down this year compared to the same six-month period last year, however robberies are up 12%. Burglaries and larceny thefts are both down somewhat compared to last year, with the latter category including car break-ins and pickpocketing.

Photo: Scott Rodgerson

Four East Bay residents — three adults and a juvenile — were taken into custody Friday following a heist of LEGOs worth $3,500. And the crew was easily caught because they were in a car they rented through a third-party app.

Some less-than-seasoned (alleged) criminals were arrested Friday after a robbery at the LEGO Store at the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo. The robbery, which sounds like a grab-and-go type affair, occurred around 11:27 a.m., as San Mateo police reported on Facebook. It does not sound as though the suspects were armed at the time, though that is unclear.

The suspects were reportedly seen getting into a Volkswagen Jetta by a "vigilant employee" of the LEGO Store, and it sounds like they must've taken down a plate number as well. Because police soon figured out that the owner of the Jetta had rented the vehicle out through a third-party app, and they were able to track the vehicle as it was "traveling through multiple counties."

The Jetta was, in fact, in San Francisco later that afternoon, and San Francisco police stepped in to make the arrests around 4:10 p.m. Friday. The SFPD says they found a handgun in the car, leading them to impound it. And evidence of the LEGO Store theft was allegedly in the vehicle also. ($3,500 should be able to buy you a lot of LEGOs!)

The three adult suspects were taken back to San Mateo County and booked into jail there on Friday, while the juvenile was released into the custody of their parents.

The adult suspects, all residents of Richmond, have been identified as Jose Heredia Lopez, Karlos Mason, and Makayla Wells Melgoza. All three are set to be charged with the robbery, and San Mateo police say that charges relating to the gun are still pending investigation.

Photo: Xavi Cabrera