Man robs Apple Store of $49,230 worth of iPhones in broad daylight
Footage of a man stealing $49,230 worth of technology from an Apple Store has gone viral.
A video shared online shows a man with his hood up as he goes on a hilariously brazen thieving spree around an Apple Store near Oakland in the US.
In the clip, which was filmed on Monday (February 5), the man can be seen furiously grabbing iPhones on display and shoving them down his pants before running out of the shop.
It has to be seen to be believed:
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The video has been shared multiple times online, with many commenting on how at the end of the video footage the thief appears to run past a police car in a seemingly rookie move.
One person commented on X: "His walking past an empty police car is the headline of the event."
Another added: "Watching it, I was wondering how he really thought he’d get away with it."
However some viewers were left shocked at the fact he's stealing display models which would likely not work outside of the shop.
One viewer asked on social media: "...does he know they're all display models with no access to the mobile network?"
Another said similar as they wrote: "Even if he got away with them they wouldn’t have worked but now he’s getting charged as if they were not display products."
The Berkeley Police Department, Emeryville Police Department and California Highway Patrol have worked together and confirmed that on Wednesday (February 7), they arrested three individuals in relation to this and thefts at other Apple Store locations.
The police have also confirmed that one of the suspects they have arrested is 22-year-old Tyler Mims from Berkeley, however it has not been confirmed if Mims is the man featured in the viral video shared online. The other two suspects have not been identified.
Mims has been charged with multiple offences including three counts of grand theft, organised retail theft, burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime.
According to police, there have been four reported grand thefts from the Apple Store in Emeryville since January 19 with this latest incident costing the Apple Store $49,230 of stock.
The Emeryville Police Department also revealed the police car outside the store which features in the video is empty, and typically used as a decoy deterrent as there were no officers in the nearby area at the time.
The video has been shared widely online, and comes at a time when Apple is widely discussed with the launch of Apple Vision Pro, which is aiming to blend the real and virtual worlds seamlessly.
However, it hasn't all been plain sailing as Pro Vision has also received some criticism over its 'unsettling' and 'low-quality' FaceTime avatar.
Niamh Spence