SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco police are looking for a group of nine suspects who together rushed a department store in Union Square, and made off with tons of high-end perfume.
Police suspect the incident is the work of the so-called “Rainbow Crew,” a group thought to be responsible for a string of smash-and-grab style robberies of retail stores throughout the Bay Area.
The thieves grab items off the shelves and stuff them into shopping bags (YouTube/Officer Manfredi)
Surveillance footage shows the hooded suspects walking casually in file through the department store and into the perfume and cologne department. Almost like a flash mob, they suddenly begin stuffing their bags with merchandise, mostly perfume and cologne, confusing passing shoppers and overwhelming store employees. Police said the crew fled then together southbound on Geary Blvd.
The crew is composed of seven females and two males, police said. Three of them have been identified using the security footage.
The first, 21-year-old R’Mani Minard of San Francisco, is the apparent ringleader of the crew. He’s currently wanted for outstanding warrants in San Diego, Solano, and Alameda Counties, as well as by the Walnut Creek and Pleasanton police departments for commercial burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony robbery, police said.
In 2013, Minard made headlines after he was found and arrested in Los Angeles for 13 counts of commercial burglary and one count of felony robbery. The robbery charge was in connection with an incident in which he allegedly got in a physical altercation with an employee at a Victoria’s Secret in Pleasanton, which he and his posse had targeted several times that year.
More images for the Crew (@OfficerManfredi – Twitter)
Police are also looking for 31-year-old Mercedes Cannorier of San Francisco, who is currently on probation for burglary out of Los Angeles County, as well as 40-year-old Andrea Rose of Oakland, who is currently wanted for narcotics violations.
In this most recent incident, the rainbow crew–which got its nickname after several members were spotted with hair dyed various colors–stole more than $11,000 in merchandise, and are each wanted for felony 2nd degree burglary and felony conspiracy.
Anyone with additional information shuold contact the Richmond Police Station Investigations Team, (415) 666-8000.
