On November 20, 2024, the Organized Retail Theft Task Force (ORTTF), comprised of police officers from the San Mateo, Daly City, and San Bruno Police Departments were deployed in The City of San Mateo. The Task Force, funded by a grant, works closely with retailers and is focused on organized retail theft (ORT) occurring around shopping centers located in each of the three cities.
At 2:02p.m., the Task Force was called by Loss Prevention Agents from lululemon, located at the Hillsdale Shopping Center, about a theft in progress. Officers were told there were (5) subjects inside the store working together to conceal merchandise. Officers stopped the suspects as they exited the store and all (5) suspects were safely detained. A San Bruno police officer was assigned as the lead investigator in this specific case. Refer to San Bruno Police Department for additional questions regarding this arrest. During the investigation officers located and recovered over $4,500 worth of stolen merchandise. Three of the suspects had felony warrants for their arrest for organized retail theft priors. All (5) suspects were arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
Several hours later, at 8:05 p.m., the Task Force was alerted again to another theft in progress at lululemon – Hillsdale. Officers were told 3 subjects had entered the store carrying lululemon bags that appeared to be filled with merchandise, however, they were now inside the store concealing additional items on their person. The three suspects were safely detained once they exited the store with the unpaid merchandise. The suspects, identified as Rajanea Alexander, Dilan Kennix, and Maarqelle Reynolds, had concealed over $4,000 of stolen items. The merchandise was returned to the store. Officers also found and recovered additional stolen merchandise from different lululemon locations throughout the Bay Area. These items were in the bags brought into the store by the subjects. Alexander, Kennix, and Reynolds were all arrested for organized retail theft and burglary. All three were booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
These arrests highlight the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat Organized Retail Theft. Over the past year, we have emphasized training, collaboration, and technology to improve our ability to respond quickly to thefts in progress and apprehend suspects committing these crimes. San Mateo PD has invested in a Real Time Information Center (RTIC), where we now have the ability to access security cameras, deploy assets, and gather information to fight crime. This center is currently in a Beta stage but was activated as part of this ORTTF deployment in San Mateo.
Just the day prior, our (3) ORTTF agencies, along with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and Loss Prevention from several retailers like lululemon, Victoria's Secret, and Target, provided training to county law enforcement and other asset protection specialists. They all highlighted how collaboration is working to catch these criminals in the act and after-the-fact. DA Steve Wagstaffe shared with the group, “…let word filter out to all these people across the Bay Area who are thinking let’s head down to our ATM machine in San Mateo County. We want them thinking ‘if we go down there we’re going to get caught, we’re going to get locked up, we’re going to get prosecuted.’ We hear that a million times from defendants who said I knew I shouldn’t have come to San Mateo County.”
According to Wagstaffe, ORT prosecutions have increased countywide from (36) in 2022-2023 to (113) in 2023-2024.
ARRESTED
Rajanea Alexander, 27-year-old Stockton resident.
CHARGES:
490.4(a)(1) PC- Organized Retail Theft, 460(b) PC- Second degree burglary, 487(a) PC- Grand Theft.
ARRESTED
Dilan Kennix, 22-year-old Sacramento resident.
CHARGES:
490.4(a)(1) PC- Organized Retail Theft, 460(b) PC- Second degree burglary, 487(a) PC- Grand Theft.
ARRESTED
Maarqelle Reynolds, 27-year-old Stockton resident.
CHARGES:
490.4(a)(1) PC- Organized Retail Theft, 460(b) PC- Second degree burglary, 487(a) PC- Grand Theft.
