(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Groups of teenagers ransacked an Apple store in US's Philadelphia on Tuesday looting iPhones, iPads, and other products, stuffing them into plastic bags before fleeing. The teens, reportedly more than a hundred in number, also attacked other stores before the police showed up.
Police officers can be seen attempting to apprehend the looters as they run wild through the shops in social media videos of the event. The looters are wearing Halloween masks.
An Apple Store was hit at around 8 p.m. and police chased fleeing teenagers, recovering dropped iPhones and a“pile of iPads” at one spot, a police statement said.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, which quoted a police officer, more than 100 individuals who seemed to be teens ransacked a Lululemon store.
Several videos released on social media showed hooded, masked individuals racing out of Lululemon and police officers seizing some of them and tackling them to the pavement.
There were no early reports of injuries, however according to CBS Philadelphia, a security guard was abused at the Foot Locker. The judge's dismissal of murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a rolled-up window on Tuesday was the subject of a peaceful protest before the flash mob-style ransacking.
The thefts also happened on the same day that Target announced it would close nine stores across four states, including three in the San Francisco Bay Area and one in New York City's East Harlem, citing threats to the safety of its employees and customers from theft and organised retail crime.
Due to the delay in acquiring their recently released Apple iPhone 15, two clients at an electronics store in Delhi's Kamla Nagar market reportedly used physical aggression towards store personnel in a prior incident.
MENAFN27092023007385015968ID1107153475
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.