Alleged thieves rob cell phone store

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- Two alleged thieves walked off with thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise from a South Florida cell phone store, Friday.

Surveillance cameras captured the robbery as it unfolded, shortly after 9 a.m. Friday morning at the Sprint store on Atlantic Boulevard at Northeast 7th Avenue in Pompano Beach.

Two men walked into the establishment and appeared to check out new phones. Suddenly one of them, a tall man wearing a black baseball cap and a red hoodie, fumbled with his pocket and pulled out a gun.

The alleged robbers then forced all three employees to the back of the store. "They make a demand for phones; one of the suspects starts to put the cell phones in a black plastic bag," said Broward Sheriif's Office Detective Luis Rivera.

At one point it looks like the men grabbed employees and led them to a cell phone stash, down the hall and back. The second robber, who also wore a black baseball cap and a white long-sleeve shirt, then started shoveling cell phones into the sack.

Back in the front, a female customer walked into the store and right in the middle of the robbery. The gunman ordered her to the back while he waved his gun and tried to readjust his hoodie.

"One suspect that's seen on video with the red [hoodie] is holding the gun directly to the employees and the customer who walks in, so we know at least one of them is armed," Rivera said.

Less than five minutes later, the robber carrying a sack of cell phones darted out the door. The tall gunman in the red hoodie checked out the cash register, snatched one last item and staggered out as well.

They're dangerous guys," said Rivera. "We want to identify them and we've got to put them in jail immediately, before they hurt somebody."

If you have any information on this robbery, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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