Kansas Apple Store hit with vehicle in smash-and-grab
updated 10:38 pm EDT, Sat October 13, 2012
Thieves often forget that devices are easily traceable
The latest in a series of "smash-and-grab" robberies of Apple Stores happened in Leawood, Kansas this week -- the second time this particular store has been victimized in the same manner in the last two years. The thieves used a stolen car as a battering ram, but were unable to use the car to escape, and only had time to take a small amount of merchandise before police arrived, forcing them to flee on foot. Though the story had a security fence, it was unable to stop the vehicle from allowing the robbers entry to the store.
The robbery took place at about 2:40AM local time, but the thieves had only a couple of minutes before police arrived and did not use the vehicle to get away. Police are analyzing the green Dodge Intrepid for fingerprints or any other clues, and Apple will likely invoke the "Find My iPhone" feature of the phones or iPads if they are turned on to trace the merchandise. Should the phones or other devices not be activated, the store also has security camera footage and a list of inventory numbers it can give authorities to help trace items, lowering their value since most can be easily tracked.
A California store was attacked in a similar fashion just last month, but the suspect in that robbery used his own vehicle and returned to the scene of the crime to retrieve a dropped license plate. He was quickly arrested. News reports of the Leawood incident can be seen below, as well as on YouTube.
