(Photo : NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
People enter an Apple store in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2021.
An Apple Store in Washington got robbed after thieves cut a hole through a bathroom hole, stealing over 400 iPhones.
While previous Apple Store break-in only includes a few devices, the recent incident at the Alderwood Mall has successfully taken more than $500,000 worth of products. This is one of the biggest theft cases involving a retail store of the Cupertino-based tech giant in recent times.
Apple Store Thieves Cut a Hole in a Wall to Steal $500,000 Worth of iPhones
According to 9to5 Mac, thieves entered the Alderwood Mall Apple Store in Washington at around 7 in the evening. The burglars took the chance to attack on a day when the stores were closed.
The thieves reportedly got a bit creative with this heist. Instead of directly entering the store, they found a way to prevent them from being detected. These folks created a hole in the bathroom of a coffee shop at the Alderwood Mall. The tunnel they cut through was big enough to fit a person and a box of products, giving them access to the Apple Store.
Apple's latest 5G smartphones go on sale in the UK today. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available from November 13.
The tunnel, created by the thieves, paved the way for them to steal around 436 iPhones, including other products such as Apple Watch and iPads. Perhaps they left them behind due to the size of MacBooks and Macs.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: The new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro on display during launch day on October 23, 2020 in London, England. Apple's latest 5G smartphones go on sale in the UK today. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available from November 13.
Burglars Passed Through an Adjacent Coffee Shop
The security system of the Apple retail store at the Alderwood Mall reportedly failed to detect the burglars, according to Mac Rumors. They passed through a Seattle Coffee Gear adjacent to the shopping center's Apple Store.
The manager of the Seattle Coffee Gear, Eric Marks, never actually thought that they are adjacent to the retail store, which offers iPhones, iPads, and Macs. He points out that the layout could have been more obvious to him. Contrary to the thieves, the manager says, "I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store."
And as such, the Seattle Coffee Gear manager believes the burglars had it all planned out. Marks thinks that "some had to think it out." Besides that, he suggested that they might "have access to the mall layout" as it was not that obvious for everyone else.
The burglars only intended to steal the iPhones. The adjacent coffee shop reportedly did not have anything stolen after the incident besides the hole in the bathroom. The cost of fixing the damage is estimated at around $1,500.
Meanwhile, the Lynnwood Police Department communications manager, Maren Mckay, notes it was a well-organized operation." The heist was free from any fingerprints that would expose the culprits' identity.
As the investigation is still ongoing as of writing, the police refused to release the security footage of the Apple Store incident.
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