San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has secured a conviction against 22-year-old Adonte Bailey for multiple firearm charges and a shoplifting incident at the upscale department store Saks Fifth Avenue. A jury found Bailey guilty of second-degree commercial burglary, grand theft, two counts of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, two counts of carrying a concealed firearm, and one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The court also affirmed the firearms were not registered to him and that they were loaded at the time of his arrest. According to a press release from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the verdict is seen as a win for community safety.
On November 21, 2022, San Francisco Police Officers apprehended Bailey in the vicinity of Carrizal and Geneva Streets with two loaded Glock-style P80 ghost guns: one attached to his ankle and the other stowed in a backpack. Despite Bailey's prohibition from possessing firearms, he continued to flout the law, leading to his arrest with a ghost gun after stealing items from Saks Fifth Avenue's Balenciaga section worth $1,725 on March 22, 2024. His subsequent release on his recognizance proved short-lived after this breach of trust.
Assistant District Attorney Abigail Adams, who prosecuted the case, emphasized the gravity of such offenses, stating, "When people who are prohibited from possessing firearms obtain them anyway without legal justification, they do so at the expense of the safety of the community at large." She thanked the jury for their thoughtful deliberation, as conveyed in the San Francisco District Attorney's press release. The trial's outcome underscores the dangers posed by the unlawful circulation of firearms, particularly ghost guns that undermine tracking and regulation efforts.
Many hands worked to bring this conviction to fruition, including efforts from District Attorney Investigators Scott Wong and Sammy Kim, paralegals Rayna Bryan and Sara Wong, and IT support provided by Leland Chan, Noe Pinaire, and Ada Yu. Mr. Bailey is in custody, with sentencing scheduled for March 3.
