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VIDEO: As Apple employees watch helplessly, thieves take $35K in merchandise on Black Friday

One threatens customers during robbery at crowded downtown Palo Alto store

Two people who entered the Apple store in downtown Palo Alto on Nov. 25 during a busy Black Friday sales event made off with an estimated $35,000 in merchandise, Palo Alto police said.

The theft, captured on video, was reported at 340 University Ave. at 4:17 p.m., acting police Capt. James Reifschneider said. The video shows the duo walking among customers stealing multiple iPhones and laptops from the display tables, ripping them from their security cords. In the video, Apple employees could be seen trying to protect customers by moving them out of the way of the thieves.

A store employee heard one of the thieves make a general statement to the crowd of shoppers of physical violence toward anyone who attempted to stop them. The threat elevates the crime from a burglary shoplift to a robbery, Reifschneider said. No weapons were seen and no one was injured.

The duo fled in a red Mazda3 hatchback and were last seen by a security guard traveling north on U.S. Highway 101.

Police haven't made any arrests and have limited suspect information. Both were Black males in their late teens or early 20s. According to the video, one was wearing a dark hoodie with a camouflage pattern and a hood with a shark head design, black pants with white athletic stripes, black and red shoes and a black backpack with white markings; the other was wearing a beige hoodie with faded blue jeans and white shoes and a carrying bright red backpack.

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Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct location.

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Sue Dremann
 
Sue Dremann is a veteran journalist who joined the Palo Alto Weekly in 2001. She is a breaking news and general assignment reporter who also covers the regional environmental, health and crime beats. Read more >>

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VIDEO: As Apple employees watch helplessly, thieves take $35K in merchandise on Black Friday

One threatens customers during robbery at crowded downtown Palo Alto store

by / Palo Alto Weekly

Uploaded: Thu, Dec 1, 2022, 11:23 am

Two people who entered the Apple store in downtown Palo Alto on Nov. 25 during a busy Black Friday sales event made off with an estimated $35,000 in merchandise, Palo Alto police said.

The theft, captured on video, was reported at 340 University Ave. at 4:17 p.m., acting police Capt. James Reifschneider said. The video shows the duo walking among customers stealing multiple iPhones and laptops from the display tables, ripping them from their security cords. In the video, Apple employees could be seen trying to protect customers by moving them out of the way of the thieves.

A store employee heard one of the thieves make a general statement to the crowd of shoppers of physical violence toward anyone who attempted to stop them. The threat elevates the crime from a burglary shoplift to a robbery, Reifschneider said. No weapons were seen and no one was injured.

The duo fled in a red Mazda3 hatchback and were last seen by a security guard traveling north on U.S. Highway 101.

Police haven't made any arrests and have limited suspect information. Both were Black males in their late teens or early 20s. According to the video, one was wearing a dark hoodie with a camouflage pattern and a hood with a shark head design, black pants with white athletic stripes, black and red shoes and a black backpack with white markings; the other was wearing a beige hoodie with faded blue jeans and white shoes and a carrying bright red backpack.

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct location.

Comments

Dave Boyce
Registered user
Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Dec 3, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Dave Boyce, Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
Registered user
on Dec 3, 2022 at 2:03 pm

This happened over the space of at least one minute in a busy downtown location, and these guys were clearly preoccupied on what they were stealing. I wonder, did anyone IN A PHONE STORE call 911 while it was happening. How did these two get away without police interference? The station is one block away. University Avenue traffic is usually inhibitive of anything resembling speed.


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