An Apple Store in the Bay Area has been targeted in a snatch-and-grab robbery in which 16 iPhones were stolen.
Police in Walnut Creek, California say that three females entered the Broadway Plaza Apple Store on August 11. They grabbed multiple handsets and then ran out, fleeing in a silver Honda Civic driven by a male suspect.
Policed released two images related to the case, which can be seen here. One depicts the suspects inside the Apple Store, while the other shows the getaway car. They are requesting anyone with knowledge of the case to contact Walnut Creek police Officer Bertolozzi at tbertolozzi@walnutcreekpd.com.
The California Apple Store crime spree
Apple Stores in the Bay are, unfortunately, frequent targets of thieves. In June, thieves robbed the Apple Store in Valencia, California, at gunpoint.
More significant was a spate of Apple Store robberies which took place across California last year. These resulted in the theft of more than $1 million worth of devices. In one instance, thieves hit the Apple store in Palo Alto twice over the course of a weekend. Police ultimately arrested a gang of 17 people.
Apple has taken preventative steps to try and crack down on thefts. It uses special versions of its software for all demo devices which render them useless if stolen from a store. However, as the continuing number of robberies show, thieves obviously have other ways of making money from iPhones. Most likely, they sell them for parts.
Source: East Bay Times
