An Apple Store In Philadelphia Was Looted Overnight, But Demo iPhones Were Disabled Shortly, Possibly Recording Thieves Too

wccftech.com:

Looters ransacked an Apple Store in Philadelphia in an attempt to cash in on their efforts by selling off a heap of demo iPhones placed in the retail outlet. The incident happened on Tuesday at 8 PM, and the thieves stuffed the devices into plastic bags before fleeing the crime scene. According to various bystanders, around a hundred people were involved in this illicit activity, and they also took a chance to rob other stores before the police showed up.

With the continued efforts from authorities, around 20 people involved in looting the Apple Store outlet have been arrested so far. Aside from making their getaway with iPhones and iPads, the looters also tried to rob a nearby Foot Locker, according to statements from the police. The authorities claim that the attacks were coordinated, and the number of stores broken into has not been confirmed, with future video evidence hopefully providing the answers.

Can you believe this is Philadelphia, USA?? Looters hit multiple stores & targeted the Apple Store for the iPhone 15 Pro Max & more. Cops finally stepped in to stop the loot #Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/aHOmfmLBcd

— Rosy (@rose_k01) September 27, 2023

Despite making out of the Apple Store with several iPhones and iPads, it is never prudent to steal demo units from a retail outlet, as Ian Zelbo has shown on X that the people who were filming the crime, revealed that the stolen units were playing an alarm tone and were remotely locked. One of the images of the stolen iPhone also shows a green light status, suggesting that the thieves’ activities might be remotely recorded to relay information to the police, just in case they were successful and had to seek refuge in their hideout.

Notably, the green status light means that