Seattle is not the only city having problems with major theft. Retail theft in the US has grown to be one of the largest epidemics in the past few years. Seattle’s Apple store was tageted. Approximately 436 iPhones in total were taken out of the back. In total about $500,000 worth of iPhones, iPads, and Apple watches was stolen. The thieves found a way into the store through the bathroom wall of the coffee supplies store next to it.
The internet is full of videos of people going into retail stores and loading items into bags and leaving the store. Last year, the National Retail Federation released a study that claimed the amount of goods shoplifted was about a $35 billion loss. Seattle police said the crime at the Alderwood Mall was ‘calculated’ and the thieves struck about 7pm on April 2 when the stores were closed.
This was not just another story robbery. Lynwood police said the crime was well-thought out based on the mall’s surveillance image. The thieves were wearing masks and no fingerprints were left at the scene.
The criminal had tools. They cut a 24 by 18 hole, big enough to fit an adult, to break into the store. This all happened while no one was in the store. The police was notified the next day. It’s unclear if the thieves were hiding out in the adjoining Seattle Coffee Gear restroom, or whether they initially broke in before cutting a hole into the Apple store.
No word yet on other data such as DNA traces. A hole large enough to fit an adult in between a toilet and sink. The break-in wasn’t reported until the following morning when Apple employees noticed several iPhones missing from the shelves. The thieves managed to break into his shop by prying open its locked front doors.
