SAN FRANCISCO – A Walgreens employee was arrested early Wednesday morning after allegedly stabbing a man who had been seen taking merchandise from the store in San Francisco’s Castro District.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, officers were flagged down around 4:35 a.m. Wednesday on the 400 block of Castro Street, where they found a man suffering from injuries consistent with an assault. They provided aid and called paramedics to the scene.
During the investigation, officers learned that the man had been seen leaving the store with unpaid merchandise. A verbal confrontation between the man and the store employee escalated into a physical altercation outside the business. Video footage from the SF Bay Times Castro Street camera captured the scene, showing the two men fighting in the street in two separate instances.
In the first altercation, the men appeared to exchange blows, and the suspect walked away. He returned shortly after, leading to a second confrontation in which the suspect was seen falling to the ground after more blows were exchanged.
Both men were arrested. The store employee, identified as 45-year-old Guang Hong, was booked for assault with a deadly weapon. The shoplifting suspect, 30-year-old Larry Whitlock, was cited for battery and petty theft. Whitlock was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Walgreens released a statement saying they are cooperating with the police investigation.
Chris Murray, a regular customer at the Walgreens in the Castro, expressed his shock upon seeing the surveillance video. He recognized Hong from previous visits and was surprised by his involvement in such an incident. Murray noted that workers at the store regularly face such challenges, particularly with frequent shoplifting.
Kevin Reilly, another regular at the store, explained that security guards are often restricted in how they handle such incidents due to previous altercations, including a fatal shooting at a Walgreens on Market Street in 2023.
The Castro Walgreens has long been a target for shoplifters, with both Murray and Reilly sharing their observations of open thefts in the store. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the stabbing.
