San Francisco police announce 'blitz' arrests of 17 shoplifting suspects

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The San Francisco Police Department announced over a dozen arrests on Thursday after what they say was a successful shoplifting blitz operation.

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Named "Blitz '23," the pre-planned operation was conducted on Tuesday to help reduce retail thefts and to hold those committing the crimes accountable.

SFPD says a retail store located on the 700 block of Mission Street was chosen for the operation due to the high number of shoplifting incidents the store was experiencing.

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Police say that a total of 17 people were arrested, two of which had outstanding arrest warrants. The stolen property was seized by officers during the operation and returned to the store, according to SFPD.

"The SFPD will continue to conduct these operations throughout San Francisco in the hopes of reducing thefts that are targeting our businesses," it said in a statement.