Thieves loot Apple store for new iPhones only to realize they’re disabled and being tracked
Charisa Bossinakis
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Dayjiamainpage
Around 100 masked people looted an Apple Store in the US and stole iPhones, only for them to realize they were worthless.
It turns out some will do almost anything to get their hands on the latest Apple products.
Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford confirmed that dozens had been arrested after breaking into the Apple Store on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, Tuesday night (September 26) around 8pm, according to Republic World.
Some thieves wore Halloween masks as they began ripping products from displays, while others vandalized the store before breaking into other nearby shops, such as Footlocker and Lululemon.
Omg yal😭😭😭😭 they cleared the Apple Store downtown.. looting the wine in spirits is crazy 😭😭😭😭 Philly really is a unhinged place 😭😭😂 pic.twitter.com/oBpZ90IXak
— Dee (@deegrizzleyy) September 27, 2023
Many began stuffing their bags full of products before running off.
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Footage shows looters realizing the Apple products were remotely disabled. Several were seen throwing the devices on the ground, tossing them into storm drains or even pouring liquid on them.
AP News reported that around 18 state-run liquor stores were broken into, leading the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to close all its 49 branches the following day.
From the instagram story of one of the people who … filmed their crime — the phones started playing the “alarm” tone and were remotely locked. Many of the devices were thrown onto the street and abandoned pic.twitter.com/QCGSVm3gvc
— Ian Zelbo (@ianzelbo) September 27, 2023
While no staff member was harmed in the process, ‘some were understandably shaken', according to liquor board spokesperson Shawn Kelly, as per AP News.
He added that stores had ‘closed in the interest of employee safety and while we assess the damage and loss that occurred. We will reopen stores when it is safe to do so and when the damage is repaired’.
Viral footage also shows scenes descending into absolute chaos as officers swiftly arrive to arrest the teens.
One video even shows one cop managed to hit one of the teens before making arrests.
At the time, Dayjia Blackwell began livestreaming the mass looting, yelling: "Everyone must eat."
🚨#BREAKING🚨
— The Bulletin (@BulletinTodayUS) September 27, 2023
Popular Influencer 'Meatball,' Real Name Dayjia Blackwell, Arrested After Livestreaming Philadelphia Looting Last Night
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has closed 49 retail wine and liquor stores, with 48 of them located in Philadelphia.
Some of the other… pic.twitter.com/Dczpd9n1hm
Blackwell was later arrested.
Police say that around 20 people have also been taken into custody, who were later charged with burglary and theft.
Two firearms were also recovered from the scene.
Acting Commissioner Stanford also insisted the looting had nothing to do with Eddie Irizarry's supporters, who were protesting the charges dropped against the cop who fatally shot him, according to AP News.
Instead, these were a bunch of ‘criminal opportunists'.
While many managed to dodge arrests, Apple has remotely activated an alarm on the stolen iPhones, according to News18, and the locked devices show a message which reads: “Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked."
And to make matters worse for these thieves, Apple can remotely activate cameras and start recording at any given moment.
Well, that kind of throws a spanner in the works.