A brazen theft at the Apple Store located on Berkeley’s popular Fourth Street shopping district is the latest in a string of similar incidents targeting Apple retail locations in the Bay Area. The incident, which occurred Friday afternoon, involved a group of individuals who worked in concert to steal iPhones and other high-value items.
Exterior of the Apple Store on Fourth Street Berkeley showcasing its modern design.
Berkeley Police Department reports indicate that the theft unfolded at approximately 3 p.m. at the store situated at 1823 Fourth St. According to Lt. Andrew Rateaver, store employees witnessed a group of at least seven males entering the premises and swiftly executing a well-organized plan to pilfer merchandise.
Eyewitness accounts corroborate the coordinated nature of the crime. One individual reported seeing the group quickly severing security cords attached to display products near the store’s entrance. This allowed them to grab an estimated six iPhones and iPads before rapidly exiting the store and fleeing north along Fourth Street. Witnesses lost sight of the suspects shortly after they left the vicinity.
Lt. Rateaver highlighted that this type of “mob theft” is not a new phenomenon for Apple Stores, both in Berkeley and across the wider Bay Area region. He noted that the Apple Store in Emeryville, as well as other locations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, have experienced similar coordinated thefts. The tactic involves a group overwhelming store security through sheer numbers and speed. Typically, some individuals will hold doors open while others seize devices before the entire group escapes, pulling the doors shut behind them to delay pursuit.
Following the incident, Berkeley police conducted a search of the surrounding area, but no arrests were immediately made. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
This recent theft is not an isolated event for the Fourth Street Apple Store Berkeley. The store has been targeted multiple times in recent months and years, indicating a pattern of criminal activity. Just weeks prior, on November 3rd, a similar incident saw suspects steal multiple laptops from the store in the early afternoon. In November of the same year there was also a reported robbery involving a knife at the store.
Looking back further, the Fourth Street Apple Store has faced a range of security challenges. In the previous year, a teenager attempted to fraudulently purchase over a dozen iPhones using a fake credit card. More dramatically, thieves once drove a vehicle directly through the store’s front window in a smash-and-grab burglary during the early hours of the morning. Adding to the list, police previously released video footage related to the robbery of an elderly man that occurred after he shopped at the Apple store, demonstrating the store has unfortunately been a recurring location for crime.
The Apple Store theft on December 4th was part of a busy day for Berkeley police. Officers also responded to a welfare check which initially appeared to be a fatality but turned out to be a medical emergency, requiring rescue efforts. Additionally, police were called to a separate incident involving reported child abuse and provided support for the shutdown of a homeless encampment at Old City Hall, which occupied police resources for several hours earlier in the day.
