Federal and local officials are investigating to see if a slew of cell phone store robberies that involve armed suspects are connected.
Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake police have had similar cases where multiple armed males enter a store and demand merchandise. In one robbery on Black Friday, employees were zip-tied before suspects stole more than $40,000 in Apple products.
The latest robbery reported to 13News Now was at a T-Mobile store on 1721 Laskin Road on December 14. Three armed men walked into the store and demanded items before running away, police said.
The following incidents happened prior at Sprint store locations:
- 2000 Colonial Ave, Norfolk – November 12th
- 2704 N Mall Drive, Virginia Beach - November 23rd
- 1710 E Little Creek Road, Norfolk – December 9th
Chesapeake Police told 13News Now they have a similar robbery that is being investigated, but officers did not have the specifics at the moment.
Most robberies seem to be occurring in small strip malls and around closing time. Store employees reported a decline in business as a result.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
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