In a large, coordinated robbery scheme, a group of people wearing hoodies walked into Apple stores across 19 counties in California, grabbed as many products as possible within seconds, and fled the scene, according to authorities.
The robbers, who often targeted Macbooks and iPhones on display, made off with more than $1 million worth of products.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the arrest and charges against 17 individuals for this “grand theft spree” on Sept. 27.
Authorities have arrested seven adults, and arrest warrants have been issued for nine other suspects.
The snatch-and-grab suspects went to a Costa Mesa Apple store in Southern California and took products worth $29,000. An off-duty officer was punched and kicked when he tried to stop them.
According to Palo Alto police, the Apple Palo Alto store was robbed twice in 12 hours during iPhone XS launch weekend. Another location was robbed twice in two days.
Local law enforcement agencies from all 19 counties assisted in the investigation, including Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento County, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sonoma and Ventura.
In addition, suspects from Fresno, Santa Clara, and Alameda, face charges for conspiracy to commit grand theft.
“Organized retail thefts cost California business owners millions and expose them to copycat criminals. Ultimately, consumers pay the cost of this merchandise hijacking,” Becerra said in the statement.
The names of the suspects have not been released and the investigation is ongoing.
