SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A small business owner in San Francisco’s Richmond District is beyond frustrated after his shop was targeted in four smash-and-grab burglaries involving vehicles ramming into the front door within six months. The latest incident has left him and neighbors questioning whether police could have done more to stop the suspects.
The most recent break-in occurred early Wednesday around 3:15 a.m. when a car crashed into the front of Cigarettes Cheaper at 17th and Geary. Surveillance footage shows multiple suspects fleeing the scene with what the owner estimates was $20,000 to $30,000 worth of cigarettes.
“It’s not safe. It’s horrible,” said Rosie Cavan, who works in the building next door. “We’ve been here a little over a year and I think a car has driven in this guy’s front door probably five or six times.”
PREVIOUS STORY: SF smoke shop target of repeat break-ins; owner says store lost insurance coverage
Despite nearly 20 security cameras capturing the thefts, suspects have continued to evade arrest. Surveillance footage from the latest burglary shows two San Francisco police officers arriving on the scene, lights flashing. They exit their police cruiser, guns drawn as the suspects load cartons into a getaway vehicle. The officers do not approach the suspects who then flee the scene in two vehicles. This was perplexing and infuriating to the owner, who after so many break-ins, declined to go on camera out of safety concerns.
“I don’t think cops are protecting them,” said Cavan. “I don’t think cops take it seriously. I don’t feel like anything is being done.”
ABC7 News reached out to SFPD to ask why there was no pursuit, despite police being on the scene. Spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca explained why police acted the way they did.
VIDEO: Brazen robberies leave Oakland, Alameda business owners fed up, despite report that crime is down
In recent weeks, a series of bold burglaries and robberies in Oakland and Alameda has left businessowners frustrated and concerned for their safety.
“There was no pursuit in this case because the officers who responded were a single unit and had to remain on the scene to secure the business,” Rueca said. “Those officers had to stay and make sure the location was secure, and there weren’t other occupants inside the business or victims injured.”
The owner of Cigarettes Cheaper doesn’t buy the police department’s reasoning, using an expletive to describe his displeasure. Meanwhile, those in the area are left wondering when the crime spree will come to an end.
“It’s a bummer,” says Cavan.
ABC7 News has covered a number of mass cigarette thefts in the Bay Area recently. Two weeks ago, two Oakland gas stations were targeted back-to-back, where an estimated two thousand packs were stolen.
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
