Armed thugs rob foreign reporter, thwarting Democratic efforts to hide San Francisco's crime problem



Democrats tried their best to present foreign dignitaries and reporters from afar with an idealized vision of San Francisco this week. Officials attempted to clear drug addicts, garbage, excrement, and the city's nearly 8,000 homeless from the area around the conference center housing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, effectively creating a California-style Potemkin village — complete with an avenue crowded by communist flags.

The illusion could not be sustained for long.

Czech reporter Bohumil Vostal dared to venture outside the APEC safe zone and into the broader city Sunday, reporting on San Francisco's alleged best features — largely tourist attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that to conclude his efforts to paint the crime-ridden city in a positive light, Vostal, a correspondent for ČT24, went to the famed City Lights bookstore for a "majestic shot." His hopes of helping to rehabilitate San Francisco's reputation may have been dashed there and then, as three masked men swarmed the foreign reporter with guns drawn.

"They were heading at my camera man, aiming a gun at his stomach, and one at my head," said Vostal.

The San Francisco Police Department indicated that it is investigating the armed robbery of the production team at 4:56 p.m. in the area of Broadway and Columbus Avenue, reported KTVU-TV.

The thugs, who fled the scene in a car, reportedly stole over $18,000 worth of equipment along with the Czech correspondent's footage of an idealized San Francisco fit for European audiences, which included shots of the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square and transvestites in the so-called Transgender District near the Tenderloin.

"I'm one of those many people who used to read Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road,' and I was so much looking forward to visit your city," said Vostal.

The Czech correspondent indicated police had been helpful and that "all the people of San Francisco are almost blaming themselves, like they are so sorry for something they didn't do."

Democratic Mayor London Breed received 70.7% of the vote in the 2019 general election and a plurality of votes in the 2018 special election. The previous mayor, also a Democrat, won in a landslide.

Despite the all-too-common setback, Vostal indicated on X, "We'll keep shooting. We are here for the US President's summit with the Chinese leader. And we'll be there (as always) for CT."

Thieves in San Francisco have robbed multiple news crews in recent years. CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah got cleaned out by thugs in March. A KPIX-TV reporter covering crime in San Francisco's Twin Peaks neighborhood was robbed the previous spring. Thieves have also reportedly taken to targeting engagement photo shoots in the city.

According to the SFPD, there have been 2,103 robberies and 5,223 burglaries since Jan. 1, 2023. The city has also seen 31,251 reports of larceny theft so far in 2023 — an increase of over 4,000 incidents when compared to the same time last year. San Francisco has also been home to 48 reported murders, 228 rapes, 5,477 motor vehicle thefts, and 2,306 assaults.

Neighborhood Scout puts the odds of falling victim to a property crime and to a violent crime at 1 in 20 and 1 in 186, respectively.

While foreign nationals like Vostal may have been greeted in recent days by selectively cleaned streets lined by Chinese communist flags, residents may be accustomed to a wholly different experience.

— (@)

Travelers in the increasingly derelict downtown were previously likely to encounter one or more of the 7,754 homeless individuals San Francisco officials tallied last year. Numerous homeless encampments surrounded the area where the APEC conference was held up until the city recently cleared them out.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said of the homeless clearances earlier this month: "I know folks say, 'Oh, they're just cleaning up this place because all these fancy leaders are coming into town.' That's true because it's true," reported SFGate.

There's a lot to clean up.

A report released earlier this year by the city's Controller's Office indicated that excrement was observed on approximately 50% of street segments in key commercial areas and 30% of areas in the citywide survey. Broken glass was found on 50% of the streets and sidewalks surveyed. Syringes, dead animals, and condoms were also observed, predominantly in the Mission, Tenderloin, and south of Market areas.

The New York Times reported that some foreign correspondents came to San Francisco expecting the kind of experience Vostal will leave with.

Yuk Ishii with Fuji Television Network in Japan told the Times she had heard a great deal about the city and presumed the worst.

"We were thinking there might be zombies," said Ishii. "So far, so good."

Ilmari Reunamaki, a reporter from Finland, said, "We heard there are usually five times as many tents, and now there are five times as many cops."

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Horrifying video shows shoplifter douse Bay Area store clerk with kerosene then set him ablaze



Surveillance footage has emerged showing a horrific incendiary attack that left a store clerk in California's Bay Area grievously injured.

The victim of the Sept. 22 attack, who identified himself only as Suraj for fear of reprisals, told KPIX-TV that he has seen his share of criminality in the five years he has worked at Appian Food and Liquor in El Sobrante, but nothing quite like this. Now, the mirror will serve as a constant reminder of the lawlessness now affecting much of the Democrat-run state.

Suraj's coworkers warned him ahead of his shift that a serial shoplifter had made multiple trips to the store to steal lighter fluid. Sure enough, the 38-year-old suspect, later identified by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office as Kendall Burton, returned to the store, apparently ready to once again take advantage of California's Proposition 47, which effectively decriminalized thefts under $950 in 2014.

Suraj can be seen in the surveillance footage confronting the homeless shoplifter while his coworker arms himself with a baseball bat. Before his coworker is able to close the distance and start swinging, the shoplifter douses the victim with lighter fluid then sets him ablaze.

"He just splashed lighter fluid on my face, and I was so scared that moment," he told KPIX. "I tried to cover his hand, but I don’t know. I don’t remember. He just lit the fire on me, you know."

Despite the flames consuming his flesh, Suraj nevertheless managed to get to the bathroom and splash himself with water.

The footage shows the attacker casually resume his thievery before Suraj's coworker finally tees off on him with the baseball bat.

— (@)

Suraj survived the attack with second- and third-degree burns all over his face, neck, chest, and shoulder and has been hospitalized at San Francisco’s Saint Francis Memorial Hospital ever since.

The pain is "terrible," he told KPIX, noting that "when we clean the wound, it's like over 10."

"I'm still in a trauma right now, me, my family," added Suraj, who reportedly requires multiple surgeries.

His wife, Sabeena, started a GoFundMe campaign to help their family through Suraj's recovery.

Kendall is being held without bail and faces charges including assault with a deadly weapon, battery, arson, and robbery. It's unclear whether he'll ultimately face justice for his alleged crimes, since Contra Costa County's Democrat district attorney is Diana Becton, a radical leftist whose 2022 campaign received roughly $1 million in funding from George Soros, reported the Daily Mail.

Since Becton first assumed office in 2017, crime has been an issue for the area.

While she rushed to charge protesters who defaced a BLM mural in 2020 with a hate crime, Becton issued internal guidelines in June 2020, encouraging prosecutors to consider whether looters "need[ed]" the stolen goods.

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Another TV news crew reporting on crime in a Democrat-run city gets robbed while filming



Another TV news crew reporting on crime in a Democrat-run city can now provide firsthand testimony of just how bad things have gotten.

A Univision Chicago TV crew was reporting on a string of armed robberies across the city of Chicago early Monday morning when three men wearing ski masks robbed the crew at gunpoint.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the victims, a reporter and a photographer who have not been named, were filming a segment for the Spanish-language TV station near the 1200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in the city's West Town.

"They were approached with guns and robbed," said Luis Godinez, vice president of news at Univision Chicago. "Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera."

Raza Siddiqui, president of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 41, indicated the suspects demanded cash from the 28-year-old and 42-year-old male victims, then rifled through their SUV, stealing a camera, a personal backpack, and two bags containing equipment, reported the Chicago Sun-Times.

"Gratefully, the crew is safe," said Godinez.

The Univision Chicago vice president indicated the station intentionally downplayed the incident in its subsequent coverage.

"We don't want to make the story about us, because there were other robberies that occurred within that same period," Godinez told the Tribune.

WLS-TV reported that a series of armed robberies and carjacking rocked the South Loop and Northwest Side Sunday and Monday, where two to four thugs at a time would mob, sometimes beat, but always rob their victims.

In one of the incidents, a 67-year-old male victim had complied with armed robbers who demanded his property, but the thugs brutalized him anyway, landing the elderly man in St. Mary's Hospital.

WLS noted that there were at least eight robberies inside that 48-hour window, many of them violent.

According to the Chicago Police Department, there have been 6,543 robberies, 4,821 burglaries, and 13,595 incidents of theft reported so far this year.

Alderman Scott Waguespack of the 32nd Ward said, "I think the brazenness of these criminals has gone behind the pale."

The alderman stressed that in addition to supporting police, "We also need people up on top to say, 'The criminality has to stop.' And I'm talking about the mayor."

Leftist Mayor Brandon Johnson, the former teachers' union organizer elected in April, appears averse to tackling crime directly or with proven methods.

Newsweek reported that Johnson has argued that well-funded police forces and throwing criminals in jail won't make Chicago safer. Instead, he thinks more money should be dumped into mental health care, schools, and affordable housing. Additionally, he has supported sending social workers and EMTs to respond to various 911 calls instead of cops — in a city that reportedly has already seen 396 homicides this year and a total of 643 slayings in the past 12 months.

There have been 19,585 carjackings so far this year, accounting for a 227% increase since 2019. Johnson was recently mocked over suing automakers as a roundabout way of addressing the problem.

When pressed last week on what he has accomplished in his first 100 days in terms of combating street crime, Johnson told CBS Chicago 24,000 youths "were employed for summer positions" and that he has been "working with faith community, the business community, the philanthropic community to make critical investments."

Johnson lashed out at CBS 2 political investigator Dana Kozlov when she noted the number of persons employed by the city's One Summer program was likely closer to 20,000 and questioned whether his so-called remedies were "concrete."

According to Neighborhood Scout, the chances of becoming a victim of a property crime in Chicago with Johnson at the helm are 1 in 42. The chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime are 1 in 115.

The Univision reporter and photographer robbed Monday were not the first in the news media to contribute to those statistics by their victimization this month.

A WLS photographer was beaten and robbed in Chicago on Aug. 8 while preparing to cover a news conference on the West Side, reported the Tribune.

Crime reporters in Democratic cities farther afield have similarly had the distance between them and the stories they cover collapse in recent months.

TheBlaze previously reported that a CNN news team was robbed in San Francisco while reporting on the crime that has begun to define that city.

Despite having personal security on watch, Kyung Lah and Jason Kravarik – senior producer for CNN’s Los Angeles bureau – had their car looted by thieves while they were inside City Hall for a story about crime affecting Asians in San Francisco.

Lah stressed online, "This is ridiculous."

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68-year-old Lowe's employee fired for trying to stop shoplifters has been reinstated



The 68-year-old Lowe's employee fired for bravely trying to stop shoplifters from absconding with over $2,000 of stolen merchandise has been given her job back at the Rincon, Georgia, store where she has worked for 13 years.

This corporate about-face appears to have been the result, at least in part, of the widespread recognition of Donna Hansbrough's dedication as well as the backlash online over the store's decision to kick a battered victim to the curb over a supposed company policy violation.

TheBlaze previously reported that three suspects entered the home improvement store on June 25, loaded at least one shopping cart with loot, then took off without paying.

Police indicated the alleged shoplifting trio comprised Takyah Berry, Joseph Berry (Takyah's uncle), and Jarmar Lawton.

According to the Rincon Police Department, Hansbrough attempted to stop one of the suspects by grabbing hold of the shopping cart.

The 68-year-old later told the Effingham Herald, "I just got tired of seeing things get out the door. I just ... I lost it."

Outside the store, Hansbrough reportedly asked to see a receipt. When the suspects failed to produce one, she grabbed the cart.

Police stressed that Hansbrough "did not at any time make contact with any person."

Takyah Berry, one of the suspects, was allegedly the shoplifter helming the cart full of stolen goods.

Berry allegedly hit Hansbrough three times in the face, giving the victim a swollen black eye, said police.

Surveillance video of the incident appears to show Hansbrough take the beating but maintaining control of the cart, which she subsequently wheeled back into the store, despite her injuries.

A black-eyed Hansbrough was later informed she had been let go.

"I didn't expect to get terminated," said Hansbrough. "Maybe a reprimand or a suspension."

Hansbrough told WJCL-TV, "It's the first time I've ever been hit, first time I've ever had a black eye, first time I've ever been fired in my life. I've had lots of jobs, but never fired."

Following her painful exit, Hansbrough indicated she would have to go job hunting because idling at home was not an option.

The Effingham Herald reported that Lowe's issued a statement Monday, noting, "After senior management became aware of the incident and spoke to Donna Hansbrough today, we are reinstating her job and we are pleased that she has accepted the offer to return to Lowe's."

Larry Costello, senior manager of corporate communications at Lowe's, added, "First and foremost, there’s nothing more important than the safety of our customers and associates. Products can be replaced; people cannot. We continue to work closely with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for this theft and violent attack."

Police indicated that Joseph Berry was apprehended in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 22, and is now in custody. Lawton had been previously captured. Takyah Berry, meanwhile, remains at large. She is suspected of having committed a similar theft at a Walmart in Chatham County.

Rincon police: Lowes employee fired after trying to stop theft. Officers now seeking suspectsyoutu.be

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Over $600,000 in 'irreplaceable' wine stolen during 4-hour 'Ocean's Eleven' heist at high-end store in California



California thieves pulled off a heist of over $600,00 in fine wines that is being compared to the movie "Ocean's Eleven."

Around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, a thief started robbing Lincoln Fine Wines in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice. To gain access to the high-end wine and liquor store, the thief cut a hole in the building's roof. The thief then used a rope to descend into Lincoln Fine Wines. The thief put socks on some of the security cameras for cover.

Lincoln Fine Wines owner Nazmul Haque said, "I used to always think they can break in the door and windows. Now, they come through the walls, they come through the roof. You never know."

"We have cameras all around the interior, many cameras," Haque told the Santa Monica Daily Press. "I'm a simple businessman, I do not think like a criminal. I would never have imagined someone would climb down through the roof."

The thief knew to target the wine cellar — where the rarest and most expensive bottles of wine were stored.

Security cameras caught the thief on video carrying cases of wine. Around 4 a.m., the thief began looting the store's main shelves, which triggered an alarm and caused the robber to flee the crime scene.

CNN reported, "Haque arrived at the store at 4:50 a.m. and says a shaft of early morning light streamed in from the hole in the rooftop, illuminating a scene of empty shelves and shattered glass."

The thief was able to steal more than 600 bottles of expensive wine as well as pricy liquor. Approximately 75% of the store's inventory was stolen in the brazen heist.

The robber stole over $600,000 worth of vintage wines and liquor from the store. The thief "cleaned out" all of the Burgundy and Bordeaux wines from the store during the four-hour looting spree.

Of the notable bottles that were stolen, there was a bottle of Chateau Petrus 2016 valued at $4,500, a bottle of rare The Last Drop blended Scotch from 1971 with a retail price of $6,000, and every single bottle of Giuseppe Quintarelli wine.

Lincoln Fine Wines store manager Nick Martinelle told CNN that many of the bottles were irreplaceable.

The store is creating a list of missing bottles to inform local buyers and auction houses to keep an eye out for the stolen merchandise.

Haque believes the thief was familiar with the store and knew exactly what to look for, including expensive bottles that were not openly displayed. He called the theft "planned."

"It was like something out of ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ We just couldn’t believe it," Martinelle said.

"It is very hard for me to digest. All my hard work snatched within a couple hours," Haque expressed.

"To lose 10, 15 years' worth of work overnight is devastating," Haque told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm not sure if I will recover emotionally."

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the heist.

Lincoln Fine Wines is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who presents information that will assist the Los Angeles Police Department in catching the thief or thieves.

Lincoln Fine Wines wrote on Instagram, "Thank you so much to all of our community! Through all of this anguish, it's been our community and customers that have kept our spirits high! We cannot put into words how grateful we feel to have such a supportive family here at Lincoln Fine Wines."

Thief breaks into Venice wine store through roof, steals more than 600 top-of-the-line bottles www.youtube.com

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Guardian of four teens arrested in Maryland for auto-theft reportedly pulled up to fetch them from police in a stolen car



Some alleged car thieves unwittingly gave Maryland patrol officers a hand last week, driving critical evidence right past the police station.

Officers in Charles County, Maryland, glimpsed two occupied Hyundai vehicles in a business parking lot while on patrol around 1:07 p.m. on May 16. According to police, a quick computer check revealed that both vehicles had been reported stolen.

Officers endeavored to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspects allegedly fled the scene.

While officers gave chase, a 911 call came in, revealing that bandits driving cars matching the description of the stolen vehicles had just knocked over a business at St. Charles Towne Center.

The suspects, alleged to have been fleeing a burglary in stolen property, sped to the Smallwood Park and Ride, where they ditched the vehicles. Despite making a concerted effort to hide, the alleged car thieves — two adults and four juveniles — were ultimately tracked down and arrested.

The chase may have come to an end, but it appears there were still yet other suspects keen to get caught.

The CCSO indicated that another stolen vehicle pulled up outside the station and dropped off the younger arrestees' guardian along with two other females, before trundling away.
While the trio of women — Carlisa Monnae Blackeney, 18, and Mahkiyh McQuinn-Woodly, 18, along with a female juvenile — went to take custody of the minors, officers searched the area for the third stolen vehicle, finding it on a nearby street.
The steering column on the vehicle was damaged and the back window had been busted in. According to the sheriffs office, 19-year-old Anthony Stewart and three additional juveniles were inside when they found the vehicle.

Officers reportedly ordered everyone inside the getaway vehicle to exit, but Stewart allegedly refused to comply and sped off, nearly running over and pinning one of the officers.

The sheriff's office stated that Stewart only drove a short distance before ditching the car, having not learned from Whitaker and Alston's earlier alleged failure. Stewart's three young passengers similarly piled out of the vehicle, said the CCSO.

After a brief foot chase, all of the stolen car's occupants were apprehended.

Stewart was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and providing a false name. The CCSO also discovered there had been outstanding warrants for his arrest.

The trio of minors who had allegedly been with him — a 16-year-old male with active arrest warrants, a 13-year-old female reported missing from a nearby county, and another juvenile — were all charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Blackeney and McQuinn-Woodly were charged with theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, among other charges.

Deshaun Deamonte Whitaker, 18, and Vincent Lee Alston, 21, of Washington, D.C., were similarly charged with theft, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and rogue and vagabond.

While Whitaker was released on a $2,000 unsecured bond on May 18, Alston remains at the Charles County Detention Center without bond.

The Charles County Sheriff's Office indicated that the four juveniles believed to be involved in the initial police chase were charged on a juvenile office report with theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Neighborhood Scout indicated that the chances of becoming a victim of a property crime in Maryland is 1 in 63.

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Nearly 2 tons of gold stolen from Toronto airport in movie-style heist



Air Canada has been known to lose luggage, but never two tons of gold.

Thieves rocked the Toronto Pearson International Airport Monday night and absconded with a cargo container full of gold and other monetary valuables. The airport is Canada's largest and one of the top 30 cargo airports in the world.

Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn with the Peel Regional Police told reporters that an aircraft landed at the airport on April 17 carrying a "high-value container" full of gold, reported CP24.

A person familiar with the matter told the Washington Post under the condition of anonymity that Air Canada had flown in the cargo — a 5-square-foot container.

"As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility," said Duivesteyn.

The facility evidently failed to hold the cargo.

Police indicated that the cargo was removed by "illegal means" and that the value of the stolen goods was roughly $20 million CDN or $14.86 million USD. There is some indication that the thieves fled in a truck.

Sky News indicated that the market value of the haul could be as much as $104 million if the stolen gold indeed weighed 1.8 tons, as reported by the Toronto Sun.

The Post indicated that in terms of thieved value, this heist may best the maple syrup heist of 2011, when a group of thieves siphoned 9,571 barrels worth of syrup valued at $13.3 million USD on the down-low, replacing the stolen sticky substance with water. Sixteen people were ultimately arrested as part of a multi-year investigation that saw the syrup-sucking kingpin Richard Vallières brought to justice.

There was a similar airport gold heist outside Montreal in 1990.

The Associated Press reported at the time that thieves armed with AK-47 rifles ambushed a private plane chartered by Brink's Canada Ltd. and made off with approximately $13.7 million in gold ingots and other valuables. The thieves used a stolen garbage truck to smash through the airport fence and escaped in vans.

Police admitted that the bloodless robbery was "well executed" and "done by an organized group."

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority issued a statement Thursday, clarifying that "thieves accessed the public side of a warehouse that is leased to a third party, outside of our primary security line. This did not involve access to Toronto Pearson itself and did not pose a threat to passengers or GTAA staff."

"This is an isolated incident. ... This is very rare," said Duivesteyn. "For the public worried about flying out, there should be no concern. We do not consider this a public safety matter."

Police are presently uncertain whether the gold is still in the country, which is itself the fourth largest producer of gold in the world.

While Duivesteyn was unwilling to speculate on whether it was a professional job, he stated, "We're kind of keeping a broad outlook on it, so we're looking on all angles on how this item was stolen."

At the time of publication, no suspects had yet been identified.

Container with $20 million in gold, "high value" items stolen in heist at Toronto's Pearson Airport youtu.be

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Biden's ex-nuclear waste chief avoids jail time for stealing woman's luggage



Ex-Biden energy official Samuel Brinton pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor theft Wednesday and agreed to pay one of his victims $3,670 in restitution.

Samuel Brinton is a nuclear engineer who served as deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy.

A now-protected page on the Biden Energy Department's website previously indicated that Brinton identifies "as gender-fluid and use[s] the pronouns they, them, and theirs."

Brinton was originally charged with grand larceny with a value between $1,200 and $5,000, having stolen a woman's luggage at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on July 6, 2022.

The luggage, a hard shell suitcase valued at $320, reportedly contained the victim's makeup, jewelry, contact lenses, and clothing.

A surveillance camera caught the former Biden official in the act, reported KLAS-TV.

According to the warrant, "Brinton pulled the victim’s luggage from the carousel and examined the tag. Then placed it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching or might approach. Pulling it back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly."

Police were reportedly unable to ascertain the identity of their suspect until the Biden official made the news for admittedly stealing another woman's expensive luggage at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on Sept. 16.

Investigators were able to match Brinton's clothing worn at the scene of the Las Vegas crime to apparel he donned in photographs on his Instagram.

He was arrested on Dec. 8 and fired shortly thereafter.

Although Brinton was originally charged with a felony, it was knocked down to a misdemeanor charge as part of his plea deal.

KVVU-TV reported that the Biden official also dodged a prison sentence, receiving instead a 180-day suspended jail term.

While Brinton will skate with only the financial penalty and a requirement for good behavior, he still faces charges pertaining to his alleged theft of another woman's belongings in Minneapolis.

TheBlaze previously reported that Brinton admitted to taking a woman's Vera Bradley luggage, valued at around $2,325, from a baggage claim carousel at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport in September.
While he initially denied taking the woman's belongings, he later claimed he had done so accidentally.

According to the criminal complaint, footage shows Brinton taking "a navy blue hard-sided roller bag" from the carousel.

Although supposedly exhausted, Brinton then "removed the blue bag's tag and put the bag tag in the handbag they were carrying" and "left the area at a quick pace."

Investigators reportedly indicated that Brinton was also seen using the woman's suitcase on at least two other occasions.

Asya Khamsin, a Houston-based fashion designer from Tanzania, claims she is also a victim of Brinton's.

Khamsin told Fox News Digital that her luggage had been stolen on March 9, 2018, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. She later saw what she believes to have been her stolen, distinctive clothing being worn by the Biden official.

\u201cMy name is Asyakhamsin tanzanian fashion designer based in houston Texas USA \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 I lost my bag 2018 in DCA recently I heard the news on @FoxNews about @sambrinton luggage issue surprisingly I found his images wore my custom made outfitswhich was in the lost bag on 2018 \ud83e\udd79\u201d
— asyakhamsin (@asyakhamsin) 1676871102

The New York Post indicated that Brinton has not been charged in the case of Khamsin's stolen clothing.

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Video: Thieves raid Chicago suburb Louis Vuitton, stealing $120,000 in merchandise



A group of 14 thieves operating out of three getaway vehicles stole roughly $120,000 worth of merchandise from a Louis Vuitton store in Chicago's suburbs last week, according to police.

Surveillance video shows the thieves wearing masks and all-black clothing as they entered the store in an Oak Brook, Illinois, shopping mall on Wednesday, grabbing all kinds of items before quickly rushing away from the area.

"Once they entered the store, they pulled out the garbage bags from their coats and started filling them with merchandise," Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said, according to WLS-TV.

Kruger noted that area law enforcement officers are still working to identify the suspects by tracking the license plate information associated with the getaway vehicles.

On Friday, the Chicago Police Department seized one of the three vehicles allegedly used in the theft, a Dodge Charger that was reported stolen in October, NBC News reported. But as of Monday, no arrests have been made.

Oak Brook Louis Vuitton hit by 14 'grab-and-run' thieves, police say | ABC7 Chicago www.youtube.com

Kruger noted the Oak Brook grab-and-run presented striking similarities to an incident that took place at a Louis Vuitton store in the northern suburbs of Chicago only weeks prior.

In that case, 13 thieves and three getaway drivers burst into a Louis Vuitton store in a Northbrook, Illinois, shopping mall, stealing more than $150,000 in merchandise, police said.

"We don't know if there is a connection yet, but certainly there are similarities and our investigators are talking to their investigators," Kruger noted, adding, "The attorney general is looking into this investigation as well and whether or not to tie it to a larger scale investigation."

Oak Brook residents interviewed by local media said they were shocked that the crime occurred in a typically safe area of the Chicago metropolitan area.

"This is a safe area," one shopper told WLS. "We come here all the time. The kids play outside."

Another added: "You don't expect that kind of thing to happen outside of the city, too. I actually moved in from the city just recently. I thought I escaped all of that."

Rampant theft and looting continue to be a problem in many communities across the country. Over the weekend in Walnut Creek, California, a roving band of at least 80 masked burglars ransacked a Nordstrom department store.

The mob of criminals reportedly "stole goods, smashed shelves, and fled to their vehicles while carrying both bags and boxes of stolen merchandise."

Supermarket thieves pull off 'organized' heist as onlookers watch, record video. Even license plates were removed from likely stolen SUVs used in broad-daylight caper.



Who needs to work for a living any more when we're seeing, time and time again that all you have to do is mask up, fill a shopping cart, and casually walk out of any number of stores with no one daring to try to stop you?

And we already know that store employees are least likely to get involved lest they lose their jobs.

Well, the upside-down tragicomedy has spawned yet another sequel.

What now?

You could be forgiven for assuming the latest brazen, caught-on-camera theft took place in California, where lenient laws have emboldened many crooks.

No, this time it happened — of all places — in Oxford, Connecticut.

Cellphone video recorded four masked individuals loading shopping carts full of unpaid-for merchandise from the Market 32 store into a pair of SUVs just after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, WFSB-TV reported.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The clip shows the quartet silently and frantically tossing items into their waiting vehicles as onlookers just watch and record video.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @WFSBnews

At least two of the witnesses likely were store employees, as one is heard on video yelling to another to not interfere: "Don't! You're gonna get fired! That's why prices go up because of these [bleeped word]. Can't get a job like the rest us."

And the caper continued with no resistance as the crooks soon entered their SUVs and sped off.

Here's the full clip:

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Multiple people seen walking out of an #Oxford grocery store yesterday morning with shopping carts full of items they didn\u2019t pay for\u2026 Details from police -> https://tinyurl.com/2vaatza2\u00a0pic.twitter.com/CKlsdfMCNY

— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) 1636565252

The suspects got away well before the arrival of police, who said they were notified about the theft a full 10 minutes after it took place, WFSB reported, adding that store manager wasn't commenting.

"Had 911 been contacted in a timely manner, police personnel would have been able to attempt to intercept those involved," police said in a press release, according to the station. "We would like to remind everyone to stay vigilant and not to engage with people like this when a crime is occurring."

Well-planned 'organized' heist

State police told WTIC-TV the four individuals in question are suspected of stealing $1,600 in goods such as detergent and paper towels, adding that a larceny of that dollar amount is considered a misdemeanor.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"Information sharing has developed leads that they are most likely going to be trying to sell those items on social media as well as in their communities that they live in," Resident Trooper Sgt. John Acampora with the state police told WTIC.

More from the station:

Police said at least two of the suspects have committed other crimes of this kind across Connecticut and outside of the state. Police believe the two vehicles used were stolen.

Police said they've identified two of the suspects but can't release their identities with the investigation ongoing.

"They were organized, they knew what they were doing, they had no plates on the car," George Temple, Oxford's first selectman, added to WTIC.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @WFSBnews

Anything else?

"It's very unusual that anything like that happened here, and I guess while it's good that it was caught on video so they might be able to get the guys, no one was doing anything about it," Vinny Brophy from Beacon Falls told WTIC. "They just kind of let it happen."

Mark Krassner of Oxford noted to WFSB that it's "terrible" that "people have to resort to this, but I think you're gonna see more and more of this, you know, with the price of food going up, everything going up."

Those with information about the theft can call police at 203-888-4353.

Video: Suspects steal shopping carts full of items from CT grocery storeyoutu.be