Black Friday and Cyber Monday have concluded. As merchants announce sales results, Apple Insider reports that authorities recorded a string of Apple-related crimes across the US during the consumer holiday.
Because of Apple's high-end and pricey products, burglars frequently target stores and devise elaborate plans to deplete them. Some of these crimes were even caught on camera, yet the perpetrators haven't already been brought to justice.
Apple Store Robbery Caught on Video
A disturbing Instagram video showing two men stealing numerous Apple products displayed at a Palo Alto store on Black Friday is making the rounds on the internet. Local news outlets reported that the burglars could pocket $35,000 worth of products from the Apple store.
People shopping at the busy store were helpless and confused as the two thieves threatened people with violence and frantically ransacked the store while shoppers looked.
As seen in the video, the two thieves, wearing hoodies and total face covers, were pulling plugs on display phones and pushing people out of their way. Some phones even fell on the floor as they grabbed as many iPhones and iPads as they could.
As can be heard in the video, one man asked if they should be doing something to stop the criminals from doing the crime in broad daylight. Many were scared and confused during the incident.
Authorities reported that the criminals fled the scene with a red Mazda 3 hatchback. According to the Instagram video caption, police arrived about 20 seconds later. The two suspects ran into an alleyway next to a nearby parking garage, and cops barricaded it.
There was a heated discussion in the Twitter comments to the video between people who saw the theft as a sign of a declining culture and those who praised Apple Shop personnel for upholding store standards while attempting to safeguard consumers from injury.
The San Francisco Standard reports that the robbery took place on Nov. 25. The video has since gone viral on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
More Apple Robberies
Authorities are investigating a similar event that happened in Utah. Following an ABC4 report, four men are accused of robbing a Farmington Apple Store early in November of merchandise valued at more than $50,000.
According to authorities, the incident, which is classified as a second-degree felony retail theft, involved four men who were wearing jackets and hoodies. Per accounts, the men stormed the business and started cutting the retention cords holding the showcase items to the display tables.
In a separate incident, two assailants robbed Frankie Grande, the dancer, actor, and brother of singer Ariana Grande of his iPhone 14 Pro and AirPods in New York City. The thieves, ages 13 and 17, were apprehended, and Grande retrieved the iPhone.
Meanwhile, based on a federal court press release, a California man was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison for five incidents in which he contacted guys on the dating app Grindr and stole from them. According to the case findings, the man's habit was to organize sexual encounters on the app and then find a means to transfer money to himself using the victims' phones.
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