Burglars cut through wall, steal $500,000 in gear from Apple Store
In an organized operation, burglars recently cut through a wall of an adjoining shop to steal $500,000 from the Alderwood Mall Apple store in Washington.
Apple Alderwood store
Hundreds of iPhone models, as well as iPads and Apple Watches, were stolen Sunday night on April 2. 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 thieves had cut through a bathroom wall in the neighboring espresso machine store as their entry point. The business owner said they hadn't 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.
"[It was a] 24 by 18 hole cut in the wall into what appears to be the back room of the Apple store," he continued. "I'm surprised we were the conduit for them to get to the Apple store, I had no clue we were so close or adjacent to them."
Burglars reportedly cut a hole through a store's bathroom wall to access the neighboring Apple retailer at Alderwood Mall. Photo: Mike Atkinson
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, that there were no fingerprints left behind," McKay added.
Seattle Coffee Gear has since changed its locks and says the incident cost them an estimated $1,800 in damages.
Read on AppleInsider
Apple Alderwood store
Hundreds of iPhone models, as well as iPads and Apple Watches, were stolen Sunday night on April 2. 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 thieves had cut through a bathroom wall in the neighboring espresso machine store as their entry point. The business owner said they hadn't 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.
"[It was a] 24 by 18 hole cut in the wall into what appears to be the back room of the Apple store," he continued. "I'm surprised we were the conduit for them to get to the Apple store, I had no clue we were so close or adjacent to them."
Burglars reportedly cut a hole through a store's bathroom wall to access the neighboring Apple retailer at Alderwood Mall. Photo: Mike Atkinson
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, that there were no fingerprints left behind," McKay added.
Seattle Coffee Gear has since changed its locks and says the incident cost them an estimated $1,800 in damages.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
This happens with home security systems. Last year I was talking to a security system installer who was telling me how surprised he was with what a neighbor was doing. He said they had installed window sensors on all the second floor windows and motion detectors upstairs and mentioned that is highly unusual (reason being if someone is planning to break into your house they won’t be bringing a ladder along and trying to gain entry by the second floor).
This Apple Store incident would be like someone breaking into my house by cutting a hole into the bathroom. No cameras or motion detectors in there, but if you tried to get to my bathroom from a different room in my house you wouldn’t make it without tripping the alarm.
There’s a good chance Apple will be scrutinizing their security systems and making some changes going forward.
As for spare parts for shady repair shops, do those lowlifes have the equipment to match and pair security dependent parts like TouchID screens and the like?
What am I missing here?
That said, one does really wonder why thieves would hit this kinda target. And maybe...this is why Apple doesn't bother buying security. I wonder if they even insure the stuff.