Trio of crooks breaks into cell phone store through doctors office
BRASELTON, Ga. - Braselton Police are searching for a trio of stealthy crooks who went through the wall of a doctor's office to get into a cell phone store.
It happened Saturday morning around 5:30 at the AT&T store on Friendship Road. It's next door to Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates.
Police say a trio of disguised men cut through the drywall of the doctor's office to get to the cell phone store.
"They are very comfortable with the actions that they are taking and they're experienced to a certain level," said Detective Zack Tiller.
The Detective showed FOX 5 News surveillance video which shows the three men first enter the cell phone store from the doctor's office then they make their way to a rear room.
"He punches a hole in the wall reaches in and opens the door from the inside," said Detective Tiller.
Assistant Chief Lou Solis said the three men went directly to the room where they stole about thirty thousand dollars of cell phones and accessories.
"We're looking at the I Phone 7, the 7 Plus, the Galaxy S-8, the Galaxy S-8 Plus," said Solis.
He said before they got to the loot one man with a sledgehammer broke his way through the drywall of the doctor's office next door to enter the store.
"There's the sledgehammer making its way, all the way to the AT&T store. Do you think they were there before? Either they were there before or these guys know what they are doing, I mean they came there with the tools," said Solis.
Police believe the man who broke through the drywall used the sledgehammer to bash out the surveillance system at two locations in the phone store.
Assistant Chief Solis said the Braselton heist was their third job this past weekend, in Dahlonega where police said they failed to get into a safe and in Gainesville.
"In Gainesville, they hit that one and I was told a rough estimate like twenty grand," said Solis.
Braselton Police are trying to determine how many other stores this stealthy trio has ripped off.
"They've got gloves on, they've got masks, they're covered head to toe," said Detective Tiller.
He said it's likely the crafty crooks have struck in other parts of Metro Atlanta.
"From their experience level of getting into the facility, I can't say that they're not going to do it again but they have done it before," said Detective Tiller.
Braselton Police said the crooks were in and out of the cell phone store and doctor's office in about five minutes.
Police suspect the crooks had been gone less than a minute by the time they arrived.