Yet another would-be smash-and-grab was unsuccessful at the Union Square Chanel store early Monday morning, though the would-be burglars did serious damage to the storefront, and police suspect the same burglars tried this again at a nearby McDonald’s.
It’s a story we've seen in Union Square too many times in the last couple years, as smash-and-burglars ram their cars into Union Square boutique stores in attempts to loot the places. Just this past October, it happened at both the Union Square Dior and the Louis Vuitton. And now we have news from KTVU that another car plowed into the Chanel store on Geary near Stockton streets, in an attempted burglary that happened around 4:30 am Monday morning.
KTVU has video from the aftermath. There are large cracks across the store’s front window, and the gates protecting the shop are severely dented. But both the window and the gate held up, and the wannabe thieves did not get any goods out of the Chanel store.
A police officer on patrol apparently saw the burglars in the act, and may have been responsible for them cutting bait. Police also report that some 15 minutes later, at 4:46 am, they responded to a robbery call at the McDonald’s at Market and Second streets. That robbery attempt showed similar damage to a front gate, but again, the would-be robbers did not get it.
Going from Chanel to McDonald’s is an odd flex, though it is not certain these were the same operators. Police simply told KTVU that the incidents were "similar." No arrests have been made in either incident.
But this comes at a sensitive time for Union Square, as we learned just last week that the Saks Fifth Avenue could soon be leaving, and of course, Macy's still has one foot out the door and Bloomingdale’s is closing permanently at the end of the month. But while Chanel may not be happy with the burglary attempt, the company bought the building at 340 Post Street in 2022 (whose ground floor is currently a Williams-Sonoma). So it’s difficult to see them pulling up roots from Union Square anytime soon.
If you have any information on these incidents, you’re 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.
Image: @MissionLoco via Twitter
