Caught on Camera: Thieves Snatch iPhones at Lake View Store

A trio of thieves hit up Lake View’s Universal Sole Running Store Sunday afternoon, not to steal merchandise from the store, but employees cell phones.

In footage obtained by CBS and ABC, the thieves are seen walking into the store around 2 p.m. Acting as potential customers, two of them cornered store employee Matt Tugender while the third lingered in the background.

That’s when ABC Chicago says he reached behind the counter to grab one iPhone hidden under a binder. Moments later he reaches again to unplug a second phone before walking out the door.

“Literally, within an hour of this happening, a police report was filed, the emails were sent to the police department and today we sent it to the alderman just telling him ‘hey, here’s the footage,’” store owner Joel Feinberg told CBS Chicago.

It all went down in a matter of 10 minutes.

The small running store at 3052 N. Lincoln Ave. has four cameras installed inside, and Feinberg says he hopes it will help catch the thieves. If anyone recognizes the three men, they’re asked to call 911.