Calif. authorities charge 17 people in Apple store theft scheme

Brett Molina USA TODAY

Published 6:46 AM EDT Sep 28, 2018

Seventeen people have been charged in a robbery scheme targeting Apple stores, according to the office of California's Attorney General.

The group is accused of entering Apple's retail stores wearing hoodies and grabbing gadgets on display.

Security footage shown during one of the robberies at the Santa Rosa Plaza Mall in Santa Rosa, Calif., shows three people with hoodies on rushing inside and quickly snatching devices like iPhones and Macbooks and running out.

Eight adults have been arrested or booked, while arrest warrants have been issued against nine more suspects.

The thefts resulted in a loss of more than $1 million, said the state's attorney general's office in a statement released Thursday.

"Organized retail thefts cost California business owners millions and expose them to copycat criminals. Ultimately, consumers pay the cost of this merchandise hijacking," said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement.

The robbery spree reached Apple stores across 19 counties in California, said the state's attorney general's office.

The series of Apple store thefts appear to date back to May, reports San Francisco affiliate KGO-TV, when an Apple store in Carlsbad, Calif., was hit.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

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