An employee of a Walgreens in the Castro brawled last night in the middle of the street with an alleged shoplifter, who was stabbed in the extended fight.
The incident unfolded around 4:35 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The two men have been identified as Larry Whitlock, 30, and Walgreens employee Guang Hong, 45. The altercation started over Whitlock’s bag of allegedly stolen goods, but rapidly escalated as Hong chased Whitlock into the street.
The fight was caught on video and shared by local videographers dubbed FriscoLive415 and Tenderloinactivities, who frequently post footage from chaotic and violent scenes across the city.
The footage begins with Whitlock stumbling out of the Walgreens, shoved by Hong while a security guard stands by. Hong and Whitlock exchange words before Hong and the guard begin walking toward Whitlock, who flees into the middle of Castro Street. Then, Hong suddenly charges at the man and punches him repeatedly on the back of the head.
Multiple minutes pass in the next segment of the video, which shows Whitlock pacing on the sidewalk before crossing the street back toward the Walgreens. That elicits a reaction from the security guard, but at the same time, Hong steps outside. Whitlock is seen gesturing toward the back of his head and pointing at Hong, who turns to go back inside the Walgreens but, at the last minute, pivots toward Whitlock and rushes toward him.
Once again, they get into a fist fight in the middle of the street — but this time, the video shows Whitlock falling to the ground almost immediately while clutching his face.
A second video from a bystander’s perspective shows a grisly scene: Whitlock has a deep inch-long gash under his eye, which is pouring blood onto his face.
Police responded to the scene, gave medical aid to Whitlock, and took both men into custody, SFPD told Gazetteer. Whitlock was cited with battery and petty theft before being released to a hospital for further treatment. Hong was booked at San Francisco County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon.
Walgreens is “aware of the incident and cooperating with police in their investigation,” spokesperson Marty Maloney told Gazetteer in an email.
Gazetteer has also reached out to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office with questions on the charges it may file in court.
The bloody fight recalls the 2023 killing of Black trans man Banko Brown, who was fatally shot by a Walgreens security guard during a confrontation over his stealing $15 worth of candy.
Brown, who was homeless, was wrestled to the ground by the guard, Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, who eventually let Brown get up. However, the two exchanged further words as Brown was exiting the Walgreens, at which point Anthony drew his weapon and shot Brown; he died in the hospital later that day.
Anthony claimed he felt in danger of being stabbed and fired his gun in response — even though Brown had exited the premises by that point. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins did not file any charges against Anthony, stating he had acted in self-defense. He was ultimately fined $1,500 by the state Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which oversees permitting for armed security guards.
Editor’s note: We have updated the story with new details from the San Francisco Police Department and Walgreens.
