A business owner is asking for help identifying a suspect he claims stole more than 25 cellphones from his store early Tuesday morning.
In a video posted on the social network Nextdoor, an individual can be seen loitering outside Cell Depot, located in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center in the Yorktown neighborhood.
Footage shared with ARLnow shows the same person appearing to shatter the glass door at the front of the business, while a third video appears to show him exiting through the broken door with items in his hands before fleeing the scene.
Wearing a brown sweatshirt, black pants and a face covering, the suspect in the video matches the description of the suspect detailed a Wednesday crime report from the Arlington County Police Department. A police spokesperson confirmed that the suspect being investigated is the same that appears in the three videos.
The suspect is believed to have “rummaged through the interior” and stolen merchandise around 1:30 a.m., police said.
“We prepared for this unfortunate day by investing in tracking devices,” said the business owner, who asked that his name not be used.
The owner claims to have tracked the suspect to a residence a few streets away from the shopping center. But police told him a search warrant could not be obtained without a clear identification of the suspect, the owner said.
“The use of AirTags, GPS trackers or other similar devices may assist in locating stolen property,” ACPD spokesperson Ashley Savage told ARLnow. “The circumstances of each criminal investigation are different and officers will evaluate all available information to determine appropriate next steps in the course of a criminal investigation.”
The store was back open Wednesday morning, with a new front door.
More, below, from ACPD.
BURGLARY (late), 2024-10010038, 2400 block of N. Harrison Street. At approximately 8:05 a.m. on October 1, police were dispatched to the late report of a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 1:30 a.m., the male suspect forced entry into the business by shattering a glass door, rummaged through the interior, stole merchandise and fled the scene on foot. The suspect is described as an unknown race male wearing a brown sweatshirt, black pants, light colored shoes and a face covering. The investigation is ongoing.
