Thieves Make off with $23K Worth of Apple Tech from Chicago Area Target

Target Store Apple Theft Chicago Credit: Story Miners / Pinterest
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Three men raided a Chicago area Target store and stole dozens of Apple products worth more than $23,000 just before closing time, according to local media reports.

Around 10:15 p.m. on Thursday, three men entered a Target store in Schaumburg, Illinois — a suburb located northwest of Chicago. One of the men distracted the electronics department employee, while the other two broke into display cases containing various Apple products, according to the Chicago Daily Herald.

The burglars simply walked out of the store after the raid, police said. Authorities were notified about 20 minutes later. Currently, no arrests have been made.

All in all, police said the men made off with about 50 Apple products in total during the smash-and-grab heist. That included 25 iPad models valued at around $550 each and 25 Apple Watch models valued at around $400 each.

Police didn’t disclose the specific models that were stolen. The Apple Watches were likely Apple Watch Series 4 devices and the iPads were possibly 9.7-inch or older models, based on their prices.

According to reports, the men appeared to be in their mid-20s and were wearing black or dark colored clothing. Local police also released security stills of the men and are asking anyone with information to contact them at (847) 882-3534.

Previous Apple Heists

This is far from the first time that thieves have raided a store for Apple tech. Being relatively small and valuable, Cupertino-designed products have become a popular target for burglars and robbers.

There have been numerous cases of burglars robbing brick-and-mortar Apple Store locations across the U.S., including some organized thieving rings. Many of the capers also see burglars using unorthodox tactics like chewing through security tethers or smashing vehicles into the front glass windows of Apple Stores.

Occasionally, bandits target third-party retail locations like Best Buy, though the Chicago robbery is the first we’ve heard of a Target being burglarized for Apple products.

It may, however, all be in vain for would-be thieves. Display iPhone units, at least at Apple Stores, come preloaded with security software that deactivates them when they go out-of-range of a store’s Wi-Fi network.

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