Man charged with retail thefts from Berkeley Lululemon
Police say Charles Scott and associates took about $13,000 in leggings in early October then went back later that month and stole more clothing.
A Hayward man is facing retail theft charges this week linked to repeated visits to the Berkeley Lululemon store on Fourth Street.
Authorities say Charles Scott, 23, took about $13,000 in leggings from the shop in early October then went back later that month and stole more clothing, according to court papers.
The investigation began Oct. 3 when three people went into Lululemon at 1901 Fourth St. and took 110 pairs of leggings, Berkeley police wrote.
The group left in a dark gray Toyota Highlander without license plates.
A Lululemon retail theft investigator identified Scott as one of the suspects after recognizing the Highlander from previous retail thefts, according to charging papers.
A police detective in Pleasant Hill had flagged the vehicle in the system.
On Oct. 11, Scott went back to the Berkeley Lululemon with an associate, police wrote, and took 15 pieces of clothing worth more than $1,500.
Again, they fled in a dark gray Highlander without license plates, authorities said.
The next day, a deputy from the Alameda County sheriff's office pulled Scott over in Hayward due to the missing plates, according to court papers.
"Scott was the driver of the vehicle and the registered owner," Berkeley police wrote.
When Scott got pulled over, he was wearing the same clothing and had the same distinctive hairstyle from the Berkeley Lululemon security footage the day before, according to court papers.
When police searched the Highlander, they found items that linked Scott to the Berkeley Lululemon theft in early October, BPD wrote.
Charles Scott. BPD
Last week, authorities brought Scott from the Martinez Detention Facility to Berkeley Jail in connection with the Berkeley Lululemon case.
He declined to speak with Berkeley detectives and asked for his lawyer, BPD wrote.
This week, the Alameda County district attorney's office charged Scott with two counts each of organized retail theft, commercial burglary and grand theft as well as one count of receiving stolen property.
On Monday, Scott was released on his own recognizance by Judge Elena Condes and ordered to stay away from Lululemon stores in Alameda County, according to court papers.
He is set to return to court to enter a plea Monday.
Retail theft has plagued Fourth Street
Berkeley's popular Fourth Street shopping district has been a popular target for thieves due to its high-end shops and easy freeway access.
In addition to Lululemon, Sephora is also frequently hit. The nearby North Face outlet has also been a common target.
The Berkeley Apple Store was targeted at least five times last year in January.
In 2023, BPD drew criticism from some when it decided not to apply for a state retail theft grant to target what has been a growing regional problem.
Last year, however, Berkeley police stepped up efforts to catch shoplifters and other retail thieves in the act with repeated undercover operations.
Emilie Raguso
It's not possible to track Berkeley retail theft numbers with the BPD data available online, but one thing is clear: Local businesses in Berkeley have increasingly been subject to property crime over the years.
In 2023, commercial burglary saw a 30% increase in Berkeley, according to the BPD's Transparency Hub data portal.
From 2016 to 2023, the city saw a 169% increase in commercial burglary reports, according to BPD data.
Those numbers appear to have fallen significantly in 2024, along with many other serious crime reports in Berkeley.
Read more about public safety in northwest Berkeley and other Berkeley neighborhoods.
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Emilie Raguso
Emilie Raguso
Emilie Raguso
