A gang of thieves on scooters raided Apple’s flagship store on one of London’s swankiest shopping streets in the small hours of Monday morning, making off with thousands of dollars’ worth of iPads, iPhones, and other gadgets.
The London Evening Standard reported 10 people on five scooters took part in the attack on the Regent Street store, with one “high-powered scooter” driving through the plate-glass doors. Video footage filmed by bystanders showed the gang making their getaway.
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The rest of the gang rushed in through the broken doors and helped themselves to items on the display stands in the store, while two security guards were kept at bay by being threatened with hammers. Britain’s strict gun laws mean that there are virtually no armed security guards on commercial premises.
Apple did not immediately return Coins2Day‘s request for comment on the incident.
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London is experiencing an epidemic of scooter-based crime, mainly small-based robberies that require a quick getaway on congested streets. The trend has taken a vicious turn this year, with an alarming spate of robberies in which the thieves throw acid at their victims—frequently delivery persons on bicycles—before robbing them.
The moment a moped gang raided #Apple's flagship London store this morning was captured by a man waiting for a bus: https://t.co/p8QnAL2vsRpic.twitter.com/yt5LIs2ac2
— BBC London (@BBCLondonNews) November 13, 2017
The attack comes shortly after the release of Apple’s most expensive iPhone ever, the iPhone X, with prices that start at 999 pounds or $1,300.