Six people accused of being involved in a “prolific retail theft crew” have been arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of items from several Safeways in San Francisco and Oakland, police said.

“Stealing from our businesses is unacceptable and anyone who engages in this illegal activity will be held accountable,” said San Francisco Interim Police Chief Paul Yep in an announcement Thursday. 

The arrests were the culmination of months of investigation into a string of at least 26 retail theft cases, which often targeted alcohol from Safeway stores, according to San Francisco police. 

The group allegedly stole over $52,000 in items and caused $6,400 worth of damage, police said.

SFPD took over the investigation for the Oakland cases. Police eventually identified six suspects and obtained arrest warrants for them .

Kevin Lavender and Frederick Dozier were arrested on Oct. 28 after allegedly burglarizing a business in the 1200 block of Irving Street in San Francisco. Police followed them into a convenience store where they were arrested for their warrants, and officers found the pair had allegedly stolen over $5,000 worth of alcohol.

Firearm-related offenses were also added on for Lavender and Dozier after police said they discovered a pistol and an assault rifle at a home in the 900 block of Ellsworth Street during a search of the residence.

Lavender was booked on suspicion of more than 50 counts of alleged crimes, including 18 counts of commercial burglary, 14 counts of grand theft, two counts of robbery, one count of organized retail theft, three counts of felony vandalism, and one count of possession of a machine gun. 

Dozier was arrested on suspicion of 37 suspected crimes, including 15 counts of commercial burglary, 12 counts of grand theft, two counts of robbery, three counts of felony vandalism, one count of possession of an assault weapon, and one count of organized retail theft. 

Two other suspects, Kel Lavender and Kewhum Allen, were also arrested for similar alleged crimes, such as multiple counts of commercial burglary, grand theft, robbery, and felony vandalism.

Keana Allen was arrested on a warrant Oct. 29 near the 2000 block of Mission Street. She has been accused of felony burglary.

Tronshown Skyides, 21, was arrested Dec. 5 by SFPD for a warrant and unrelated alleged crimes. He is currently being held in San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of two counts of commercial burglary, one count of grand theft, one count of organized retail theft, and firearm-related crimes. His bond has been set at $500,000.

It is unclear if the other suspects are in custody. 

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office was granted jurisdiction for the alleged thefts in Oakland.

The investigations into the alleged retail theft crew are still open and active. Anyone with information is asked to contact SFPD at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Those providing information can remain anonymous. 

“SFPD will be relentless in investigating suspects who commit these crimes,” Yep said. “We will continue to support our businesses by conducting thorough investigations and work with all our law enforcement partners to stop these crews.”