Five people are in custody Wednesday following a grab-and-dash theft at an Apple Store in the Fashion Island Shopping Center in Newport Beach.
Eight people entered the store about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and took about 38 iPhones valued at nearly $32,000, the Newport Beach Police Department stated in a news release distributed at the station.
The men fled in two vehicles, described as a Gray Dodge Challenger and a black Mercedes-Benz sedan, which were possibly occupied by getaway drivers.
Authorities located the Dodge following the heist and followed the vehicle with the help of California Highway Patrol officers until it stopped at the intersection of Willow Lane and Westminster Boulevard in Westminster, according to the news release.
Officers found 22 of the stolen iPhones in the vehicle.
Five people were arrested and charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime, according to the news release.
The suspects were identified as Deavon Justice Guillory, 20, Kenyae Emil Buyard, 18, Dejon Amere Sanders, 20, Kovey Le James, 18, and Hysanii Kiesean Rice, 18.
Police are still searching for at least three other men involved in the incident.
The heist was similar to a string of crimes that have occurred across the state recently.
Surveillance video showed a group of people entering an Apple Store in Costa Mesa on July 23 and grabbing several of the displayed items before running away.
On July 7, the Apple Store in Fresno was also victimized by the same type of grab-and-dash theft.
Police have not determined if the crimes are related or if copycat thieves are responsible for the more recent events.
