A brazen theft took place at the Apple Store in Alderwood Mall last weekend where burglars infiltrated the location through a nearby coffee shop. According to Seattle’s King 5 News, the robbers broke into Seattle Coffee Gear, went into the bathroom, and cut a hole in the wall to get to the Apple Store backroom. They were able to bypass the Apple Store’s security system by using the adjacent coffee shop and stole a total of 436 iPhones, worth around $500,000.
Seattle Coffee Gear manager Eric Marks stated that the coffee shop is not noticeably adjacent to the Apple Store because of the way the store is laid out. He expressed his surprise and said that “someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout” to plan such an operation. According to reports, police were able to obtain surveillance footage of the theft, but it has not yet been released as it is part of an active investigation.
The incident happened when no employees were present at the Apple Store as the mall had closed for the night. An Alderwood spokesperson stated that they are working with the police to solve the case, but Apple has not yet commented.
Seattle Coffee Gear, however, will have to incur a repair cost of $1,500 to replace the bathroom wall that was cut open by the burglars. The stolen iPhones have not been tracked down yet, and it is uncertain if they will be able to be blacklisted and rendered useless.
This heist is a reminder that even the most advanced security systems can be bypassed through a well-planned scheme. Apple and other retail stores need to ensure that their security measures are up to date and that they are taking steps to prevent such incidents from happening again.