Tulsa, OK -
Tulsa Police say thieves are targeting cell phone stores. There have been four burglaries in the last two weeks. TPD thinks the same two men are behind all of crimes.
The cases are classic smash and grabs and were caught on security cameras. Each time police say the thieves broke through the front glass door, climbed in and took whatever they could in the middle of the night. The store Phone Doctors was the first target. Brandon Gaffney says it's as if the suspect had shopped here before because he knew where to go.
Police don't doubt it. They believe the suspects case the store along with the Sprint on 41st near Sheridan and a Boost Mobile store at 31st and Garnett along with one other. "The thing about it, these phones, some of the new ones, are $400 to $500. They're grabbing those brands, and they're likely selling them on the street for $50 to $100," said Officer Leland Ashley.
Gaffney says parts are also profitable. Phone Doctors say there's no way to remedy that, and they end up eating the costs. The management is still trying to figure how much the incident has cost them. "It's just the monster of doing business in retail and electronic devices sometimes that are kind of high end," explained Gaffney.
The store is beefing up security and appealing to a higher power to intervene. Gaffney says he'd like to sit down with whoever eyed the cases and cell phones. He says he and others at the store have done it before, relying on their faith to set a crook straight. "This is the cornerstone of our business. That's how we try to do our business, That's how we try to live our lives," he told Tulsa's Channel 8.
Police believe the suspects were in a silver or gray four door vehicle. The suspect descriptions are also vague, so if you can help, call Crimestoppers at (918) 596-COPS.
