Suspects thought to have been fulfilling 'orders'

The arrest of two men following an incident at an Apple Store in Tampa, Florida appears to have solved a series of thefts in the area, a local Fox affiliate says. At the International Plaza Apple outlet, a customer spotted two men grabbing iPads from a stack on wall display. After reporting the theft, a mall security guard is said to have confronted the shoplifters in the parking lot, who sped away in a vehicle after dropping the stolen iPads.

Because the guard wrote down the vehicle's license plate however, police from a holiday task force were able to track the men to another parking lot nearby. A search of the car found bags of goods from other stores in the area, and Google maps showing malls and other shopping venues in the state. Police suggest that the men were probably filling "orders" for specific products.

Beyond iPads, some of the other items stolen by the men include jeans and watches. As of Friday, a third man was being sought after. Despite being caught in Tampa, all of the suspects are originally from the Miami area.

by MacNN Staff