Security Gate Stops U-Haul In Berkeley Apple Store Robbery Attempt
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- Would-be burglars who attempted to break into an Apple store in West Berkeley early Thursday morning by driving a U-Haul truck through the storefront were thwarted by the shop's metal security gate, according to police.
Police said at least two men tried to plow a rented U-Haul into the Apple store on Fourth Street. While the pair succeeded in smashing the glass doors, they did not do quite enough reconnaissance.
"There's a metal security screen that is just on the inside of the doors that was not penetrated so they were not able to get inside," said Officer Byron White of the Berkeley Police Department.
Officers responding to an alarm found the U-Haul truck abandoned and with the engine running on the sidewalk in front of the store. The two suspects were long gone - their iPhone and Apple Watch dreams foiled by a metal gate.
Though the store's inventory was untouched by the suspects, the damage to the storefront apparently led store managers to keep the location closed.
So far in 2018, Berkeley officers have made eight calls for service to the store: six for run-of-the-mill thefts but two -- including the one Thursday morning -- were for bigger burglaries and robberies.
Berkeley is not alone.
Across the Bay Area, Apple stores have become favorite targets for thieves trying to make a quick buck on the black market according to Officer White.
"A familiar theme that we keep seeing is the small, expensive electronic devices that are attractive to criminals, because they could perhaps sell the parts or sell the whole device itself and I know that criminals are getting quite creative in getting around some of the security measures," White said.
