Most prominent target in series of smash-and-grabs

The Covent Garden Apple Store in London, England was the target of an overnight smash-and-grab robbery, the city's Metropolitan Police have confirmed. The Met say they received word of the crime at about 1AM local time, and believe that "around 7 moped riders/motorcyclists" were involved, most or all of which had passengers riding with them. In any case, everyone involved is said to have been wearing a full-face helmet.

The gang is accused of stealing iPads "and other similar devices." Islington police later spotted a moped and attempted to chase it down, but it managed to slip away; still another moped was found abandoned in the area of Wyclif Court, though, and around 1:20AM two men were successfully chased down on foot after being spotted inside the apartment block.

The suspects are 16 and 21 years old, and currently being held at a north London police station. They were caught with property thought to have been taken from the Apple Store.

A person who has been camping out for the iPhone 4S at Covent Garden, Robert Shoesmith, says he woke to hear "a load of motorbikes zoom in and then a smash and grab." He adds that "a lot of Mac computers" were stolen, and that police were "everywhere" in the aftermath. Since then a broken window has been boarded up, and Apple security is allegedly preventing people from taking many photos. It's unknown if the robbery will prevent an appearance by actor Stephen Fry, who was expected to show up later today.

During the past year Apple Stores have been subject to a number of smash-and-grabs. While the growing popularity of Apple hardware is a commonly cited factor, the layout of the company's stores has also been blamed, since an emphasis on glass facades and open layouts can make it easy for robbers to break in, scoop up devices and leave before police can respond. The Covent Garden outlet was in fact hit a few weeks ago, although at the time they had no luck in breaking windows to gain entry.

by MacNN Staff