i'm raj mathai. next on nbc bay area news tonight, millions are on the move, reuniting and celebrating with family and friends. but the pandemic isn't over. what precautions should you be taking before that thanksgiving meal? our covid expert is with us tonight. also, more fallout from the group smash and grabs across the bay area. where does all the merchandise go, and who is the ringleader? we're joined by one of the country's top security consultants. and what's the deal here? surveillance video shows a burglary at a san francisco dispensary. cops are there, but appear to do nothing about it. we have some answers. good evening. this is nbc bay area news tonight. i'm raj mathai. so where are those purses going,

and what about those apple laptops and the clothes from nordstrom? this is an organized racket we're witnessing. our security expert is standing by with some answers. but we begin with something that happened today. it involves one of our own colleagues. a security guard, who was shot while on the job. here's something that you might not know. in this new reality of ours, tv news crews sometimes travel with an armed security guard. so when you see a reporter on a street corner whether at nbc or abc or cbs or wherever, you might also see a security detail with them. our jobs have gotten that dangerous. this afternoon, that security guard, who was working for a kron news grop was shot at the corner of 14th and webster. the reporter that was covering the story, the smash and grab robberies. after emergency surgery, that

security guard is in stable condition at this hour. opd and crime stoppers offering a reward up to $7500 for any information leading to an arrest. also tonight, there is reason to smile. and to be thankful. we didn't get to do this last year, remember that? but now we can. we can visit our family and friends. forget the zoom, we can do in-person now with a hug and a kiss. an estimated 53 million americans are on the move, nationwide according to aaa. let's take a peek at this hour. here is a live look at our traffic cams. let's start upper left. that's emeryville heading into and out of the bay area. that has been thick for the last couple of hours. but look at the brings. lower right, golden gate brej, it is empty. san mateo bridge, it is flowing well. and upper right of your screen, also flowing well right now, 580 in dublin.

what about air travel? busy at sfo and oakland. you see the lines here at oakland international, everyone trying to get home for the holidays, babe a beach destination. let's bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. you are smiling, because it's looking good to fly and travel. >> really good. the map is cooperating with wherever you're going or picking somebody up tonight. you can see on the current map we have a few showers over the midwest down to texas. but as of right now, we only have 30 minute delays over newark, just from some ground volume. we have a lot of those planes going into newark. otherwise, looking really good. >> that's today and tonight. a lot of us getting out of town. >> i do see the weather beginning to redevelop, so we'll watch out for thunderstorms in houston that could bring us some big delays. also in los angeles, some high wind also could stack up delays even on a small hopper flight.

rain in seattle, moderate theys, also in louisville, bay area. looks good. >> so we're looking okay. what about the roads? in terms of getting out of l.a. or tahoe? >> a few little bumps here in the road. for the bay area, it's dry and chilly for travel tonight. central valley, fog near fresno. and for southern california, some strong winds, 30 to 70 miles per hour. other than that, i think we're doing really good. everybody should be able to get from point a to point b safely. >> can you lower the gas? >> i cannot. >> thank you, jeff. a lot of things happening on this thanksgiving eve. what is the guidance here? not traffic or weather, but covid, what precautions should we be taking? we've seen this all week, that last-minute rush to get tested or to get booster shot. today, the covid testing site at the fair grounds was active.

the county saw an 70% increase of people getting tested. 2500 tests just yesterday alone. a lot of people bringing their parents to be tested to make sure they're all safe for thanksgiving. >> we are going to have a big thanksgiving dinner, so that is one reason we are being tested. i wanted to make sure because we have children in our family, too. >> not a bad play. the county saw an increase of people getting the booster shots. tonight, we're happy to say the doctor is in. dr. hahn from ucsf is with us. nice to see you on this thanksgiving eve. i am fully vaccinated. i just got my booster. but is there recommendations for people in my group? >> yes. so i think you're fully

vaccinated and you have the booster shot. so you have to ask who got recently tested. testing is not the holy grail, but it adds another layer of defense of that group getting together. and based on those answers, should i open the windows, do i need to have a filter? >> many of us do have a best friend or family member that's not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all. >> you can low terrific by testing that person. it does predict infectiousness. so if you do one and it's negative, you know that uncle

tom is not going to spread covid, even though he's unvaccinated at that dinner table. >> would you recommend many of us getting tested on monday after all the gatherings then? >> well, again, it depends on who you're going home to. if you're going home to a job like health care or essential work, you may want to help protect the people you get in contact with by doing a test, maybe two to three days after coming back. then you just feel a little bit better if you're in the house with elderly relatives. even as a vaccinated person, you might think about it. if you recently got boosted, probably going to be less important. if you did manage to get your booster yet, we know that immunity starts waning at the six-month mark. >> very good. doctor, have a safe thanksgiving with your friends and family. thank you for joining us tonight. >> you, too. thank you. also this thanksgiving week,

the return of black friday. so many businesses, big and small, hoping to make some money here. but the question now, will we show up? will people show up? so many of us concerned about our own safety with all those robberies and burglaries across the bay area. today, several people accused in connection with these crimes are formally facing charges. in san francisco, nine people now facing felonies after that flash mob burglary in union square and other parts of the city. prosecutors said one of the defendants was caught with more than $13,000 in stolen merchandise. today, we spoke with the mother of one of those charged. she says she's concerned about the amount of force police used when they arrested her son. >> i want to see my son. the last time i seen him, his face and everything was fine. he came over for a minute. and then i don't ask him what are they doing? he just came over, seen me for a minute and then he left.

>> sfpd anticipates many more arrests in this case. the d.a. in costa contra county also announcing charges in that smash and grab. about 90 people rushed in on saturday, made off with merchandise, more than $200,000. today, the d.a. says they have had three people arrested. those three will be in court to face the charges on monday. and in the south bay, police are promising to throw the book at anyone caught as part of their recent robberies. the latest crime came last night. thieve hit the mall in south an jose. two of the people arrested are now being held on $2 million bail. another story we're watching tonight, a burglary at a dispencery, caught on surveillance. it shows as the burglary is happening, sfpd, cops were right there, and it appears they just

watched it all happen. take a look. the suspects are seen exiting the cannabis dispensary last tuesday, bags in hands, before getting into the suspected getaway car. to the right of your screen, at least one police car uses its spotlight, likely to alert the suspects that they see them. but no officers get out, as the alleged crime takes place. the suspect's car makes a three-point turn before getting away. a crime report was made, but no arrests. >> i was angry when i had seen the footage. i was like, why aren't people responding? why aren't the police working hard to deter or intervene when a crime is in progress? >> nbc bay area is on this story, and audrey, the video seems pretty damning. but what is the police's side of the story? >> reporter: they are telling me tonight that they have reached out the business owners. pretty much to facilitate a complaint to the department of

police accountability. they say an investigation into this incident and the department response is already underway. but because this is a personnel issue, they can't comment any further. >> is this kind of a tactic if they don't want to get involved because it might lead to some other injuries in the area perhaps? >> reporter: you know, i'm not quite sure at this point. they wouldn't give me too much information as to why these certain police officers conducted the way they did during this burglary, as you can see right there on the screen. so not too much information from the san francisco police department tonight. we're hoping to get more information. >> the owners of that dispensary, how upset are they? >> reporter: as you can imagine, they're angry and sad about how the whole situation happened. at this point, they just don't feel safe and supported. and that's why they're taking matters into their own hands to keep their business, really

their livelihood protected. so they're purchasing stronger protection to keep their business safe. as you mentioned, no arrests have been made at this point, but a crime report has been made. so we'll keep you updated on any new developments. >> sadly, it's not just san francisco. we're hearing from small business owners across the bay area that they have so spend so much money now on the security. still to come, three white men found guilty of murdering ahmaud arbery. why some say this isn't a case where justice was completely served. and we continue our conversation about those smash and grabs. you're watching nbc bay area news. ersation]

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count one, malice murder. we, the jury, find the defendant, travis mcmichael, guilty. >> guilty of murder. that's the verdict handed down in a georgia courtroom today for the three white men accused of killing 25-year-old ahmaud arbery. that jury found the men, a father, a son, and a neighbor, guilty of murder. this case really came to light after cell phone video was shared by one of the men who was found guilty today. before that cell phone video came to light, the d.a. over there in georgia did not prosecute this case. the men confronted and killed arbery while he was jogging. arbery's mother spoke outside the courthouse after the verdict

today. >> it's been a long fight. it's been a hard fight. i never saw this day back in 2020. i they have thought this day would come. but god is good. >> this was a case in georgia, but the entire country was tuned in. travis mcmichael, who shot ahmaud arbery, was found guilty of all nine counts, including felony murder. the two other were found guilty on most of the other counts. we chatted with retired santa chaira county judge. >> this was not justice. justice would be ahmaud arbery being alive. this was accountability. the jury held these three defendants accountable, and that's what we should be celebrating. they just looked at the facts, and the irony that this case would never have proceeded but for the video, which was taken by one of the defendants, who then put it out there and made it public. so because of that, that's why

this case even exists. >> the men now face the sentencing phase of this trial. life in prison for the state charges. they also have been indicted on separate federal charges, including hate crimes and attempted kidnapping. so the trial is still not over. they still have to face sentencing. let's get back to what's happening in the bay area. yes, it is thanksgiving eve. let's go back over to jeff ranieri, who will rejoin us about the weather forecast. this is great news. not only that the weather is clear, but that we're able to see our friends and family. >> we have no airport delays right now across the map. we have a brand new update. we are tracking rain from the midwest down to texas that could bring us delays, especially over houston tomorrow. but other wise, traveling again, good tonight. also good as we roll through tomorrow morning. back here in the bay area, all about the chill for tomorrow morning. we've been used to this. but again, another reminder here. we're going down to the 30s for part of the bay area. under mostly sunny skies.

sun glasses, jacket needed. 40 in the peninsula, south bay at 42. also those upper 30s over the east bay. san francisco, 47. and some patchy frost possible in the north bay and 37 degrees. daytime highs tomorrow. it's another day where temperatures don't adjust too much through our microclimate. in the north bay, traveling to the south bay, we'll see a little warmer in the south bay, but widespread 60s here. santa rosa at 64. concord at 66. san jose, 68. so on that national travel map, you have a last minute flight tomorrow to make it to thanksgiving, and we've got plenty of sunshine out here across the west. watching for strong wind in los angeles. also some wind over wyoming, down to oklahoma city. and there is that rainfall from the midwest down to houston, with the highest chance of some delays in houston with thunderstorms. and for boston, 54. washington, d.c., 57. down to orlando, 76 and sunny skies. on the seven-day forecast across

the inland valleys, we're going to hold with the 60s the next seven days, upper thirds and low fourtds in the forecast. raj, looks great all around here, especially across the bay area. >> thank you, jeff. now back to all those flash mob burglaries we're seeing in the bay area, and many parts of the state and country, as well. most of the thieves get away with it. so what happens with all that merchandise that they run away? we're joined by the president of the coalition of law enforcement and retail, who has spent 30 years investigating these kinds of crimes. ben, first question, what happens to that purse or the clothes from nordstrom after they're stolen, where does it go? >> well, thanks for having me, raj? most cases that we have investigated, most of the products stolen winds up on one of the online marketplaces, easter in california or in a

neighboring state. >> give me an example, like ebay, amazon? >> exactly, facebook marketplace, etsy. all of those have a certain amount of product that is being listed by sellers is actually stolen in these crimes can. >> so i could go buy a designer person tonight and it could have been the one we're watching the video from now from union square in san francisco, is that correct? >> that's correct, raj. if you see the price listed for the purse at half price or what it normally would be, you know you are buying something that's illegal. >> you've been doing this a long time. how sophisticated are these operations? is this just a couple of guys and women in their living room saying let's hit a store or is this a little more detailed and nuanced than that? >> no, it's quite the opposite. it's a highly organized crime. any time you get this many participants conspiring together

without fear of consequences, they're bringing weapons, they're being supplied with burglary tools, being directed on what specific products to target, that have the highest resale value online. you're talking about a criminal network. >> say i'm taking, swiping some merchandise, i go to then a middleman and that person gives me money if i'm not selling it directly? >> yes. normally, the one at nordstrom's, they were probably paid $500 to $1,000 each to steal as much product as they could in the three minutes they were in the store. >> amazing. how does everyone coordinate? how do they all chat, is it snap chat, are they connecting on social media or just text messaging? >> obviously they're connected through text messaging. but normally a group of that size involves multiple crews that are led by local crew

leaders. those crew leaders speak to one another and coordinate these local thieves to go into a store and commit the crime. so most of the time it's just the bosses of the criminal organization that communicate. everyone else is just taking direction. >> ben dougen is the president of the coalition of law enforcement and retail. a couple more questions. are we the worst spot in the country in the bay area, and if so, why? >> well, it's the worst spot for these type of flash mob, unorganized store takeover robberies. it's not really an inner city crime. organized retail crime is in all 50 states and all types of neighborhoods. but northern california seems like the hub for this type of store takeover. we see that almost exclusively in the bay area. >> without getting too political, why is that?

is it easier in terms to have criminal justice system here? >> you know, i think decriminalization does play a part in it. any time you want to raise felony threshold levels like california or new york, that all contributes to it. but retail theft is more closely link -- the rise in retail theft is more consistent with the ex-pax of the internet and the online marketplace than decriminalization. >> ben, i hope we don't ever have you on the program again, because that means this will all be solved. but i think we'll be checking with you down the road. appreciate your time tonight. >> any time, raj. thanks for having me. >> ben dougen, the president of the coalition of law enforcement and retail. let's take you outside on this thanksgiving eve. holiday travel, what are your plans? that's our question of the day. stay with us.

let's take a live look of our traffic cams on this thanksgiving eve. relatively speaking, this is some really manageable traffic, even i-80 in emeryville the upper left of your screen is moving much quicker that. brings us to the question of the day, what are your plans for thanksgiving? on instagram, gill replied, simply staying at home with family. on facebook, cheryl perez says she's going to watch the parade, cooking the turkey and facetime

with family. coming up tonight at 11:00, catalytic converters are a hot commodity that can cost you thousands of dollars. we go undercover to see who's buying them. for everyone here at nbc bay area news, have a safe and happy thanksgiving. ersation]

-great party, carlene. you must have blown your budget. -not exactly. -you have great name-brand snacks, tons of meat... and where did you get this imported cheese? -hello! grocery outlet, bargain market. -♪ grocery outlet bargain market ♪ -with this holiday set to bust your wallet, your neighborhood grocery outlet is the destination for savings of 40 to 70 percent on all your holiday needs.

♪ my meeting with justin and janet went specifically -- >> we as the producers didn't -- we weren't in the room. >> i felt betrayed. >> he said/she said. even more fallout from the malfunction as janet's stylist comes only to "access" to defend his truth. >> the outfit did change a couple days before because -- >> thank you to the band. >> a sudden mishap live on "the voice" as wendy from team blake okay? >> don't worry, everybody. >> we do talk in the restroom, unlike men. >> and that conversation led to each of them becoming kidney donors for the other's