Thieves steal $24,000 of devices from Corte Madera Apple store

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Devices are clearly missing on some of the desk displays.
Photo: Amy Hollyfield/Twitter

Five thieves thought to be in their late teens and early twenties stole $24,000 worth of products from the Apple store in Corte Madera, California, in a brazen attack Monday night.

The gang entered the store shortly after 8 p.m., then grabbed 17 iPhones, three iPads and two Macs in front of a small group of customers. The culprits fled, and police are still searching for them.

The thieves were almost apprehended by officers, but managed to escape. They were last spotted by a security officer who saw them running toward the back of a Macy’s store, but was unable to tell what happened next.

This is the second time this Marin County store has been robbed in recent months. It was previously burgled on November 25, when thieves swiped between $35,000 and $40,000 of merchandise.

Local authorities are asking for anyone with information on the robbery to contact the Central Marin Police Authority on (415) 927-5150.

A target for thieves

Apple stores and products have unfortunately long been a target of thieves. Although features like Find My iPhone and Activation Lock have helped reduce crime, the resale value of Apple devices means they’re in as high demand in the criminal world as they are in the legit one.

Apple recently made its demo devices even easier to steal, by removing the security cables that tethered products to display tables. The idea is to give customers more freedom to test the devices.

Source: ABC News

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