Tens of thousands of dollars in electronics were stolen from the downtown Palo Alto Apple store over the weekend, police said Monday.
The first theft occurred on Saturday shortly after 7 p.m. Eight black males between the ages of 16 to 25 in hoodies entered the store at 340 University Ave. where they grabbed new demo iPhones and various other electronics collectively valued at about $57,000, according to Palo Alto police Agent Sal Madrigal. The group fled in multiple vehicles.
The store was burglarized less than 11 hours later. A passerby called police around 5:50 a.m. Sunday to report the store's front glass door was smashed, he said.
Investigators determined the burglar or burglars entered the store by shattering the door with either river rocks or coconut-sized boulders, Madrigal said. iPhones, iPads and other items valued at less than $10,000 were stolen.
None of the suspects have been identified or arrested in either incident, Madrigal said.
Anyone with information about either theft is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the police's free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
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