NYPD Searching For Suspects In Series Of Cellphone Store Robberies In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are trying to track down three teenagers responsible for a string of cellphone store robberies.
The crime spree has been going on mostly in Queens for about a month, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported Sunday.
Sometimes they work alone, sometimes together. Investigators are looking for the suspects, who have hit 12 stores, most recently a T-Mobile on Northern Boulevard, stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise.
Video obtained by CBS2 shows a man with a mask on and wearing all black picking up three Apple Watches inside the T-Mobile on Main Street in Flushing. He pulls them right off the security cord, knocking down the display, and then he runs out the door.
The NYPD said the three men work together. One acts as a lookout, another distracts a staff member, and the third steals merchandise.
MORE: Police: Man Suspected Of Robbing 5 Cellphone Stores At Knifepoint In The Bronx
Over the last month they have targeted T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon stores in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, taking devices worth in total around $20,000.
"That's like repeat offender. You can't do much about that. They're going to keep doing it until they get caught," Bayside resident Saqif Ali said.
"I've been seeing a lot of rise in crime lately. I have the Citizen app and that's constantly going off, like robberies, break-ins," resident Nusrut Jahan added.
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All three suspects are described as being around 16-18 years old. Two of them wear face masks and hoodies so they're hard to recognize. However, police are hoping someone will call in a tip that may lead to an arrest.
No staff workers have been hurt in any of the incidents, police said, adding stores are now putting new safety protocols in place.
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