BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — He is not the alleged iPhone thief who targeted a woman pushing a stroller with babies at Boca's Town Center Mall, but police have charged a man in connection with several iPhone thefts throughout the area.
According to police:
Detectives with the Boca Raton Police Services Department have been investigating a number of recent iPhone thefts where the suspect walks up to an unsuspecting victim sitting at an outside table, grabs the device and runs. Two of the three incidents happened on April 23rd and May 5th at the Starbucks located at 2200 West Glades Road, the third took place May 7th at the Starbucks located at 2521 West Glades Road. In all three cases the victim was seated outside and placed their iPhone on the table.
On Tuesday, May 14th, Detectives at the Boca Raton Police Department received a call from a colleague at the Delray Beach Police Department who said they had just arrested two males in connection with a stolen iPhone incident in their city. One of the suspects, Chip Buck, told detectives that he and William Pina met at New Beginnings, a rehab center in Delray Beach. He said they both learned about stealing iPhones and selling them for money from a fellow rehab patient. He said they would then use the money to buy drugs.
In each incident, Buck said Pina and he would drive in Pina’s Silver Acura with Pennsylvania tags. They would take turns walking around the outside of Starbucks. When they saw a phone sitting on a table, they would grab it, run and then jump in their car. Buck said they would then sell the phone to someone in Delray Beach.
Buck was charged by Boca Raton Police with three counts of Grand Theft, three counts of Conspiracy, and one count of Robbery by Sudden Snatching. The investigation continues into other similar cases.
