Beginning in late 2013, there were reports of a mischievous plant thief in Duboce Triangle. KGO Channel 7 News (ABC) covered the story in a segment that aired on January 19, 2014 (video embedded on page).

Flyers posted on telephone poles in Duboce Triangle in Jan. of 2014. January 2014 flyer

December 22, 2013 - video capture

January 6, 2013 - video capture

From video description:

"Video captured on January 6, 2014, at 12:37 AM of the guy who I call "The Duboce Triangle Plant Thief". He's taking one of a pair of potted trees from my neighbor's house on Walter St. He approaches from the right (Duboce Ave side) about 8 seconds into the video. He's got a tarp ready to go, which he lays down immediately. Clearly, had this tree targeted in advance. He works quickly, and within about 60 seconds has the tree taken from the pot. He wraps up the root ball, slings it over his shoulder, and heads south to 14th Street. The whole operation is done in under 2 minutes. This is not a casual "drive-by" theft, clearly. This thief is the same guy who has been caught on video stealing plants from my front garden, since he wears a similar jacket and this tell-tale messenger bag in both videos."

Individuals with more information are encouraged to email [email protected]