Crooks Clean Out Cell Phone Store In Thirty Seconds
MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) -- Thirty seconds is all it takes a band of burglars to ransack rows of cases containing expensive smart phone and tablets at one Miami Gardens cell phone store.
The heist happened early Thursday morning at the Unlocking Wireless Solutions store on NW 2nd Ave. and 207 Street.
"They definitely came prepared. They wore gloves, and unfortunately the cops got here 2 to 3 minutes after they already left," store owner Gilberto Maakaroun said.
Maakaroun was home watching TV when the security company called to tell him the alarm at his shop had been triggered.
Click here to watch Lauren Pastrana's report.
When he arrived at the store, he found the front door shattered, and much of his inventory cleaned out.
"We came to realize it was about 30 to 40 thousand dollars worth of phones. About 60 or 70 devices, including phones and tables," Maakaroun told CBS 4's Lauren Pastrana.
The security video shows what appear to be four young men quickly swiping device after device.
At least one guy wore gloves.
His buddies covered their heads with hoodies and a skull cap.
Thirty seconds into the heist, they all scurried out the same way they came, leaving behind bent locks and empty display cases.
Now that he's cleaned up the mess, and restocked his store, Maakaroun said he's not dwelling on this misfortune.
He's been in business for about 3 and a half years and doesn't plan on closing up shop anytime soon.
"It's going to take us a few months to probably to recover but this is not going to slow us down. We're definitely going to be in business still for a long time. This is just going to make us stronger from now on," Maakaroun said.
Unfortunately, the owner said their insurance doesn't cover burglaries, so he won't be reimbursed for all the stolen merchandise.
He brought in some phones from his other location to fill the void.
If you recognize the people in the video, call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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