Police search for crooks involved in store burglary

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- An early morning door buster occurred at a South Florida cell phone store when crooks used a truck to smash their way in.

"It appeared that the suspects tied some kind of chain or rope to the door," said an official, "and attempted to rip the door off."

When the chain attached to the black Dodge truck didn't do the trick, it was plan number two. The driver hit the gas and smashed into the Verizon store along Biscayne Boulevard on near 147th Street.

The truck went through the closed doors and straight into the showroom. It happened with such force, the truck ended up slamming into the checkout counter. Twisted metal and broken glass was left behind and even the tire trucks in the rug from where the driver made a screeching halt.

As soon as the driver was in the store, he sped out. Then, two crooks dressed in all black went on a stealing spree and stuffed their jackets with handfuls of pricey phones. "The estimated damage is above $40,000," said Officer Rick Slusher. "Suspects got away with an unknown amount of property."

If this kind of crime looks familiar, it is. On Friday, a similar burglary happened at a Sprint store in West Miami Dade. Police said cell phone stores are an easy target because of how easily pricey phones can be resold. "We've noticed an increase with these kind of burglaries throughout Dade and Broward County," said Slusher. "We're not sure whether these incidents are related in any way shape or form. However, we do see a rise in this type of business burglary.

It is unknown if these two crimes are connected but the trucks used in both are similar.

If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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