The incident occurred just before 2 p.m. at Hillsdale Shopping Center, San Mateo police said in a news release. Witnesses reported seeing three people grab the clothing and run out of the shop toward a waiting white Subaru Outback.
The Subaru then sped toward Highway 101, police said. Officers from a regional shoplifting task force found the automobile heading north on the freeway and followed it to San Francisco.
When officers attempted to stop the automobile, the driving force sped away and drove recklessly, police said. Out of consideration for other drivers and pedestrians in the world, officers called off the pursuit.
The Subaru was later found abandoned, but all 4 occupants were found a short while later. Police said stolen goods were present in the automobile and on the suspects.
According to police, the automobile had also been reported stolen earlier within the day.
The suspects – identified as a 32-year-old San Francisco resident, a 31-year-old Antioch resident, a 30-year-old San Francisco resident and a 27-year-old San Francisco resident – were arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail and charged with serious crimes including organized shoplifting, grand theft and second-degree burglary.
The 30-year-old San Francisco man was also charged with unauthorized taking of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and reckless flight.
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