iPhone Heist: thieves enter Apple Store in Washington and stole $500,000 worth of Apple products
It’s quite unfortunate to report that there was an iPhone Heist at an Apple store in Washington. According to KING-TV, an Apple Store in the Alderwood Mall in Lynwood, Washington, had 436 iPhone devices taken, as well as an unspecified number of iPad tablets and Apple Watches. The stolen goods were estimated to be worth $500,000. Two criminals broke into the Seattle Coffee Gear shop and cut a hole in the latter’s lavatory, allowing them to evade the Apple Store’s alarm system.
Further details on the iPhone Heist
It is not evident that the Seattle Coffee Gear store is immediately next to the Apple Store just by looking at it, which suggests that the burglars may have received mall plans to organize the iPhone Heist. The opinion was shared by a Seattle Coffee Gear executive.
According to Eric Marks, the retailer’s regional retail manager, “I would never have guessed we were that close to the Apple Store, given how it wraps around. So someone has to think things out and have knowledge of the mall layout.”
Seattle Coffee Gear sells espresso machines, coffee makers, grinders, coffee beans, and other coffee-making equipment and accessories. The officers gathered surveillance footage, but because it is part of an ongoing investigation, it cannot be shared with the public at this time. The Apple Store was empty at the time of the iPhone heist, and the mall was closed for the evening. While nothing was stolen from Seattle Coffee Gear, the business will have to spend $1,500 to replace the hole in the wall and the damaged locks.
Marks said that a lot of thought went into this crime, based on how the burglars were able to cut through the coffee shop’s bathroom wall without striking any pipes. Mike Atkinson, the CEO of Seattle Coffee Gear, stated on Twitter that the aforementioned security video proves that the two burglars were in and out of the two locations in less than 15 minutes.
A spokeswoman for Brookfield Properties, the mall’s owner, said the business is “upset” about the event and is “working with Lynnwood Police.” It also described the occurrence as an isolated incidence and emphasized its robust security policy. According to Lynwood police, the theft occurred last Sunday around 7 p.m. local time, and Apple Store staff were unaware of the theft until the next morning.
Lynwood Police described the operation as well-organized, with no fingerprints left behind. Apple has yet to respond to the theft.
