This is the crazy moment a daring thief casually rips an entire display of iPhones off the shelves of an Oakland Apple store amid California Governor Gavin Newsom’s new efforts to crack down on crime in the area.
Shoppers at the Apple Store on Bay Street in Oakland, California, stood by and watched as a masked man removed 49 iPhones from their security lanyards and stuffed them into his pants.
While an individual filmed the incident, no one attempted to intervene or prevent the thug from committing a savage robbery.
After stuffing his pants with display phones, the robber casually walked out of the store onto the street and walked past a police cap to get into his getaway vehicle.
According to online sources, Apple employees are instructed not to interfere with attempted robberies to avoid further violence.
This is the crazy moment a daring thief casually rips an entire display of iPhones off the shelves of an Oakland Apple store amid Newsom’s latest efforts to crack down on crime in the area.
Shoppers at the Apple Store on Bay Street in Oakland, California, stood by and watched as a masked man removed 49 iPhones from their security lanyards and stuffed them into his pants.
While an individual filmed the incident, no one attempted to intervene or prevent the thug from committing a savage robbery.
After stuffing his pants with display phones, the thief casually walked out of the store.
Some Apple stores have designated security guards who will try to stop shoplifters, but others do not.
Apple typically stores its stock in a separate private area, restricted to employees only, which is probably why the thief targeted the demo phones on display.
The products on display are usually mostly disabled, meaning they do not have the full capabilities of the normal technology on sale. These items may still be valuable due to their parts and materials, which can be sold.
This is not the first time that an Apple store in the Oakland area has been recently targeted by thieves.
A thief stole 29 iPhones from the Berkeley Apple store on Fourth St. on December 31 around 11:20 am.
The phones were worth a total of $26,000, police wrote in court documents.
On January 17, a person wearing a balaclava made off with more than 40 devices in a robbery at the same store.
On January 25, thieves attacked the same store for at least the third time in a matter of weeks and took 16 iPhones before leaving.
One individual was arrested in the robbery, 21-year-old Dwayne Butler II, and is now being held on $80,000 bail.
Berkeley Property Crimes Detectives were able to locate Butler and arrest him on suspicion of grand larceny, robbery, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.
All of these robberies come amid Newsom’s latest attempt to crack down on crime in Oakland and the East Bay.
Newsom on Tuesday announced plans to deploy 120 additional California Highway Patrol officers to the area to “conduct a targeted crime-fighting law enforcement operation.”
The governor’s office said the deployment will include specialized units equipped with advanced investigative technology “to combat crime and improve public safety.”
The thief limped out into the street with his pants full of iPhones and walked past a police cap to get into his getaway vehicle.
The thief has not yet been identified, but this is just the latest in a series of Apple Store robberies in the Oakland area.
CHP officers will specifically focus on vehicle theft, retail theft and violent crimes.
“The increase in crime and violence we are seeing on our streets is completely unacceptable,” said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.
‘The city of Oakland is working hard to turn the tide: increasing police investigations, increasing police recruitment, and investing in anti-violence and community intervention efforts.
“As we work to improve public safety, I thank Governor Newsom for providing these critical, game-changing law enforcement resources to help us hold more criminals accountable and make Oakland safer.”
Crime in Oakland has skyrocketed so far out of control that businesses are forced to close their doors to the community.
In-N-Out announced it will pull its Oakland location in March, citing the “degradation of the Bay Area.”
Frequent vehicle thefts, property damage, robberies and armed robberies of customers and employees led to the decision to close, the company said. fox business.
A 54-year-old Denny’s branch has closed its doors in Oakland amid threats to the “safety and well-being” of staff and customers, as the Bay Area city struggles to contain rising crime.
Newsom announced plans Tuesday to deploy 120 additional California Highway Patrol officers to the area.
Target closed three of its Bay Area locations in October because organized retail crime rings have become so rampant that store employees and shoppers no longer feel safe.
The public expects Apple to be the next of the Oakland stores to close.
“Looks like Apple and other nearby stores will have to close in Oakland… soon there will be no stores for good residents to shop around,” one X user responded to the video.