Apple store at Santa Rosa Plaza robbed, again

Police have detained one person suspected of stealing merchandise Sunday afternoon from the Santa Rosa Plaza Apple store, which just last month was hit by a group of thieves.

The suspect, who hasn't been identified, is believed to have acted with several other people, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Kyle Philp. Philp said the theft is currently being investigated by the Police Department's property crimes unit.

“We're still waiting for Apple to provide us with a list of the items taken,” he said.

Hooded thieves captured on surveillance video made off with more than $35,000 in merchandise from the same store on Aug. 29 while employees and other customers stood by. Philp said police are working on obtaining surveillance video in the latest heist.

Police said in a news release that shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday “several thieves entered the Apple Store at the Santa Rosa Plaza mall and ran away with multiple devices.”

The father of an Apple Store employee, who asked his name be withheld because he didn't want to jeopardize his daughter's job, said he's concerned about her safety because of the repeated thefts at the store.

In the Aug. 29 heist, the suspects were seen in the surveillance video swiping the Apple merchandise in a little more than 20 seconds, yanking the model devices free from their tethers.

One of the culprits even turned back to pick up several items that had dropped to the floor just outside the door as he fled.

The case was similar to a half-dozen lightning-fast thefts at California Apple stores in recent weeks, including incidents in Corte Madera, Walnut Creek, Roseville, Fresno, Valencia and Thousand Oaks.

Thieves also have hit mobile phone stores. On Aug. 20, three suspects struck T-Mobile stores in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, making off with $10,000 in merchandise, including multiple cellphones.

Two of the suspects, Tarell Armstrong, 26, and Joshua Green, 27, both of Oakland, were arrested that day after police said they fled into a Petaluma neighborhood following a short, high-speed pursuit down McDowell Boulevard. But the third suspect slipped away.