Overview
- Police arrested three Vallejo residents over the weekend in a crackdown on a coordinated pickpocket crew in San Francisco's Chinatown.
- Investigators used automated license plate readers, which scan plates in real time, and a police drone to find the suspects' car and follow their moves.
- Plainclothes officers moved in after seeing one person lift items as partners blocked views and kept watch, then returned recovered belongings to victims.
- A search at a Vallejo home the next day found more stolen goods, over $14,000 in cash, and property tied to a 2024 pickpocket case.
- The three—Stefan Ruest, 35, Marian Constantine, 30, and Florin Matei, 26—were booked on grand theft, conspiracy, and possession of stolen property as the probe stays open.