Pickpocket Crew Busted in SF Chinatown

San Francisco police said on May 19 that officers arrested three men accused of working together in a pickpocket crew that targeted pedestrians in Chinatown after theft reports began rising in early April. The San Francisco Police Department said merchants and community members had reported multiple thefts across the neighborhood, including one victim who lost about $4,000 in property. Officers tracked a suspect vehicle into the city on May 16 and arrested the three men after watching them move through Chinatown, police said. Prosecutors later charged the men with theft-related offenses, according to KRON4. ### Who did police arrest? SFPD identified the suspects as Stefan Ruset, 35, Marian Constantine, 30, and Florin Matei, 26, all of Vallejo. Police said the three were booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, felony conspiracy and possession of stolen property. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced charges on May 20, KRON4 reported, saying Ruset, Constantine and Matei were charged in connection with a series of pickpocket crimes in Chinatown. (sanfranciscopolice.org) KRON4 reported the men were scheduled to be arraigned that afternoon at the Hall of Justice. ### How did the investigation unfold in Chinatown? Early April complaints from merchants and residents prompted the investigation, according to SFPD Chief Derrick Lew. (sanfranciscopolice.org) The department said Central Station officers assigned to the Chinatown foot beat worked with merchants and community members to identify three people believed to be responsible for reported and unreported thefts. (kron4.com) A weeks-long investigation then expanded to include citywide plainclothes officers and the department's Real Time Investigation Center, police said. On May 16, investigators used automated license plate readers and a drone unit to track the suspects' vehicle as it entered San Francisco, according to the police statement. (sanfranciscopolice.org) ### What did officers say they saw? Police said the suspects parked near Chinatown and began casing patrons throughout the neighborhood. Plainclothes officers then watched the group work together to steal from victims while acting as lookouts for one another, according to the department. KRON4 reported that drone footage showed one of the men reaching into victims' pockets, purses and backpacks while two others stretched their jackets to block the view. (sanfranciscopolice.org) Officers recovered stolen property at the scene and returned it to victims, police said. ### What was recovered after the arrests? On May 17, officers executed a search warrant at the suspects' residence in Vallejo, SFPD said. (sanfranciscopolice.org) Police said the search turned up additional stolen property and more than $14,000 in U.S. currency. The police statement did not say how many theft reports investigators linked to the three men. (kron4.com) It did say officers believed the suspects were tied to multiple reported and unreported pickpocket thefts in Chinatown. ### What are officials saying publicly? Police Chief Derrick Lew said in the department's statement that "Criminals targeting Chinatown, or any other community in San Francisco, is simply unacceptable." (sanfranciscopolice.org) Central Station Captain Christopher Del Gandio said the case showed the importance of reporting crimes and working with officers. The department framed the arrests as the result of cooperation between police and Chinatown merchants. SFPD said Central Station officers, citywide plainclothes officers and the Real Time Investigation Center all took part in the operation. ### What comes next in the case? May 20 was the scheduled arraignment date for Ruset, Constantine and Matei at San Francisco's Hall of Justice, according to KRON4. (sanfranciscopolice.org) Court records and any future filings would show whether prosecutors add counts or provide more detail about the number of alleged victims. (kron4.com)