Rifle wielding men rob van carrying Apple gear in France - report
A van carrying Apple products in France was reportedly targeted by three men with assault rifles in a botched robbery attempt on Friday, though no one was hurt.
News of the alleged assault was shared by Nowhereelse.fr on Friday (translation), which said that three men were armed with Kalashnikov or M16 rifles when they robbed the van. The vehicle was reportedly found abandoned several hours later.
Police also found the stolen Apple equipment in a house near where the ditched van was discovered, according to the report, though the robbers were nowhere to be found.
The driver and passenger of the van were said to have been released by the robbers unharmed in the woods of Val d'Oise. The attack took place Friday morning in Aulnay-sous-Bois in Seine-Saint-Denis.
As a seller of valuable electronics, Apple products and the company's retail stores have been the target of a number of high-profile incidents over the years. Last April, a robbery suspect was killed in a shootout with police at a San Diego, Calif., Apple Store.
News of the alleged assault was shared by Nowhereelse.fr on Friday (translation), which said that three men were armed with Kalashnikov or M16 rifles when they robbed the van. The vehicle was reportedly found abandoned several hours later.
Police also found the stolen Apple equipment in a house near where the ditched van was discovered, according to the report, though the robbers were nowhere to be found.
The driver and passenger of the van were said to have been released by the robbers unharmed in the woods of Val d'Oise. The attack took place Friday morning in Aulnay-sous-Bois in Seine-Saint-Denis.
As a seller of valuable electronics, Apple products and the company's retail stores have been the target of a number of high-profile incidents over the years. Last April, a robbery suspect was killed in a shootout with police at a San Diego, Calif., Apple Store.
Comments
Unless the van was adorned with "APPLE PRODUCTS INSIDE, GOING TO AN APPLE STORE NEAR YOU. SHOW APPLE THE LOVE- APPLE, APPLE, APPLE - IMACS, IPADS, IPHONES - GET YOURS TODAY!" makes me think it was an "inside" job with a little knowledge of said shipment... Or maybe the robbers just got lucky.
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Originally Posted by Rot'nApple
Unless the van was adorned with "APPLE PRODUCTS INSIDE, GOING TO AN APPLE STORE NEAR YOU. SHOW APPLE THE LOVE- APPLE, APPLE, APPLE - IMACS, IPADS, IPHONES - GET YOURS TODAY!" makes me think it was an "inside" job with a little knowledge of said shipment... Or maybe the robbers just got lucky.
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Three guys with M16s do not take down a van by chance - they knew.
This leads me to wonder when manufacturers are going to black list computer serial numbers. Apple dealers could report stolen serial numbers to Apple, and then when the buyer of said device tries to connect to the Internet, boom! - computer disabled and reported to police.
You mean when the computer is brought in for repairs. No way do I want my computer reporting its serial number to the Internet every time it connects, much less be treated like a criminal in any fashion.
"HEAT"
No, they'll do that, too.
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Originally Posted by isaidso
"HEAT"
Sweet movie.
Sure they do. Despite the article implying it was an inside thing, perhaps these guys were hanging on roads they knew to often get delivery trucks and hitting anything that came by and looked good. And they got lucky. Just like the douche in Cali that saw an iPhone at a bar and took it for himself and got lucky.
And the blogs are happy to get their page hits writing it up cause even 'unknown prep farts at Apple Store' gets hits.
No one said they would but yes they can and might. They know the stuff taken from them was stolen. If it was taken from them. If it was taken from a third party dealer who had taken legal possession that becomes their issue to deal with.
They don't know what I claim was stolen was in fact or if I gave/sold it to you but then you pissed me off so I'm trying to screw you over. Unless I file a police report etc in the proper channels. Then they notify Apple etc.
but it is not Apples job, and in some states right, to play cop without the proper process and instructions from the proper legal authority.
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Originally Posted by jragosta
So people steal valuable things. Must be a slow news day.
Agreed...
Can't wait for the 'Armed Robbery of Android Shipment" headline.
Oh... right.
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Originally Posted by GQB
Agreed...
Can't wait for the 'Armed Robbery of Android Shipment" headline.
Oh... right.
HTC/Samsung would claim those units as "Sales".
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Originally Posted by GQB
Agreed...
Can't wait for the 'Armed Robbery of Android Shipment" headline.
Oh... right.
Shortly followed by the robbery...and then return...of the truck full of RIM products.
In the world of firearms, these two aren't especially similar. It seems unlikely that someone positively identified the weapons as one of the two.
Just to put things in perspective: in France there is no licence allowing to carry or own guns and you can't buy firearms unless 1- You practice shooting in a dedicated sport club or 2- You own a hunting licence. In either case, automatic weapons aren't allowed to be sold to any french citizen.
People owning automatic weapons are part of organized mafia groups and not a petty thief. That's why it is doubtful the attack wasn't planned in advance and especially targeted at Apple hardware shipping.
The area where the attack took place is in the vicinity of at least one proeminent Apple store is. I doubt it is a coincidence…
Maybe a RIM contract ...
If everyone carried an Automatic Weapon, there would be alot less crime...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gustav
Three guys with M16s do not take down a van by chance - they knew.
This leads me to wonder when manufacturers are going to black list computer serial numbers. Apple dealers could report stolen serial numbers to Apple, and then when the buyer of said device tries to connect to the Internet, boom! - computer disabled and reported to police.
I like the idea too but have learned from history that libertarians would be up in arms about invasion of privacy.