Two men convicted in SF Walgreens thefts

Two men who stole from Walgreens stores — including one who did so while riding a bike — were convicted Friday, according to a news release from the office of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Jean Lugo Romero received a sentence of 16 months in prison for his theft, which was captured in a widely-circulated video that showed him riding through a San Francisco Walgreens while grabbing items from the shelves. Romero pled guilty to felony grand theft and misdemeanor petty theft.

Boudin also announced the conviction of Ahmad Shabazz, who was found guilty in 13 of the 14 counts of misdemeanor petty theft brought against him for five separate incidents in which he stole from three separate Walgreens stores. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 15.

Boudin said in the statement:

“Whether the work of organized retail theft rings or of individual suspects, the burglaries impacting our local businesses will not be tolerated. … The sentence and verdicts handed down are just one way we are working to hold individuals accountable for harm caused by retail theft in San Francisco. We are also continuing our work with partner agencies to dismantle the organized networks which make these crimes profitable.”