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In a daring heist, burglars recently cut through a wall of an adjoining shop to steal $500,000 worth of merchandise from the Alderwood Mall Apple store in Washington. The incident occurred on Sunday night, April 2, when hundreds of iPhone models, as well as iPads and Apple Watches, were stolen. Fortunately, there were no injuries because the store was closed, and it wasn’t until the following morning that Apple staff learned the full scale of the heist.
The burglars cut through a bathroom wall in the neighboring espresso machine store to gain entry. The business owner expressed shock at the incident, stating that they had not experienced anything like this in their five years at the mall. “Our front door was locked. They pried our front door open”, Seattle Coffee Gear Regional Manager Eric Marks explained to Komo News.
According to LPD Communications Manager Maren McKay, the burglars stole approximately 436 iPhones and an unspecified number of iPads and Apple Watches. In total, they took about $500,000 worth of merchandise. Based on what they observed from surveillance footage, Lynnwood police believe it to have been a well-organized operation. “From the masks that the folks were wearing, there were no fingerprints left behind”, McKay added.
It’s not the first time the Apple store has been targeted. In 2019, thieves stole more than $20,000 worth of Apple products in just seconds from the same store. And earlier in 2020, thieves stole $70,000 worth of iPhones from the Oakbrook Center Apple store in Illinois.
The incident at Alderwood Mall highlights the increasing trend of organized crime targeting technology stores, particularly Apple stores. The high value of Apple products, combined with their popularity and limited availability, make them an attractive target for thieves.
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Seattle Coffee Gear has since changed its locks and says the incident cost them an estimated $1,800 in damages. Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for the burglars and have appealed to the public for any information that could lead to their arrest.