The Apple Store in Palo Alto has temporarily downed its shutters for repair after the smash-and-grab burglary in December 2016.
At the time, Mercury News reported that a group of 8 to 10 burglars smashed into the Apple Store with a rented Kia Soul and stole a number of Macs and iPhones.
The incident occurred before dawn and the cops located the rented gray Kia Soul on the sidewalk with massive damage, as well as a hole in the Apple Store's floor-to-ceiling glass front.
The same Apple Store has been the target of thieves several times in the last six months. In a series of grab-and-go robberies, thieves came in during store hours and snatched away all the devices on display and left.
Little has been mentioned about the closing of the Palo Alto store on the company's official website. Apple has not commented on the reopening date of the store.
The Palo Alto Apple Store Robbery: What Transpired
In December 2016, the police was informed about the robbery a little after 4:30 a.m. by witnesses who said that there were several people running from the store.
A Hyundai Sonata was located by the police half a block away in a deserted alley. Many of the stolen iPhones and Macs were found strewn both in and around the car.
"This was a pretty brazen act when somebody breaks their way into a business after hours and uses a vehicle to force their way into a store," said Sgt. James Reifschneider of the Palo Alto police.
The surveillance footage showed that the thieves crawled into the store through the hole in the glass wearing hooded sweatshirts.
Glass Facades Blamed For Repeated Robberies
Apple uses large glass doors and windows at many of its stores, which may be the culprit as it is simple to break into. In some cases, company has deterrents like bollards placed in front of the store, but in case of the Palo Alto attack, the burglars simply drove around them and came in from the sidewalk.
Apple's popular store, the Fifth Avenue "cube" in New York City, will also also close for renovation on Jan. 20, and the company will temporarily shift the outlet to the nearby General Motors building.
With new launches from the company in the pipeline, consumers in Palo Alto would be hoping that the store reopens its doors to people soon. Apple, on the other hand, would be looking to beef up security at this susceptible location to keep burglars at bay, if it reopens the Palo Alto store.
