RENO, NV - 1:40 a.m. Tuesday January 28, a crew of three burglars cut their way into the Deal News store at 5575 South Virginia Street through a back door.
Once inside they know exactly what they want.
"They go right to the cell phone display," says Reno Police Sergeant Roya Mason. "They open some cabinets. They take thousands of dollars worth of cell phones and they're out of the business in a very short amount of time, just a few minutes."
The burglars were caught on the store's security camera, but the video isn't much help to investigators.
The dark, fuzzy video shows three individuals at work. They're wearing what appears to be dark clothing, gray hoodies and carrying large bags.
It turns out this isn't the first Best Buy to be hit like this.
"We've learned that five additional burglaries at Best Buys with the same exact M.O were burglarized over the last two months in California."
So by now the thieves are well rehearsed.
The smart phones are small, easy to scoop up and carry, and they're expensive.
The total take here in Reno isn't known but elsewhere the stores' losses have been in the tens of thousands, even higher.
And it's likely they're being sold on the street.
"If you're coming across somebody offering to sell you a phone on the street, something that is brand new or appears to be brand new, maybe just out of the case, take a second look," says Sgt. Mason, "because you don't want to be purchasing stolen property. All these items are serialized.
And, if discovered and reclaimed, they'll go into evidence and then back to the owner.
Secret Witness has posted a $1,000 reward for information leading to arrest and prosecution in this case. Their number is (775) 322-4900. Callers may remain anonymous while collecting cash rewards.
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