Help detectives catch alleged cell phone thief

PALMDALE – Do you recognize the man in this surveillance image? If so, Palmdale detectives would like to hear from you.

The man was caught on tape stealing an employee’s personal cell phone from an AT&T store in east Palmdale two weeks ago, authorities said.

The incident happened around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 12 at the AT&T store on 47th Street East and Avenue R, according to Palmdale Station Lieutenant Cory Kennedy.

“Our suspect goes into the store, he’s browsing around and then at one point, he tries to take one of the phones attached to the cable,” Kennedy said.

The man was trying to steal a display phone, but the phone was attached to a cable that set off an alarm and scared the man away, Kennedy said.

“He walks away from there and he goes over to the cash register, and behind the cash register, he opens up a drawer and he takes the employee’s phone,” Kennedy said. “It’s an HTC Vivid phone worth $400, and he’s out the door with it.”

Kennedy said the entire crime was caught on video.

Detectives are seeking the public’s help to catch the thief, who is described as a burly adult black man, with a bald head, wearing many gold rings and a thick gold necklace. The suspect was wearing all black at the time of the burglary.

The same AT&T store was burglarized three days prior to the incident. Read more here.

“We’ve had a few of these phone rip offs,” Kennedy said. “The phone stores are getting hit for these phones because they’re so pricey now.”

Anyone who recognizes the suspect in this image, or has any information on this incident, is urged to contact Palmdale Station detectives at 272-2400. You can also contact Lieutenant Cory Kennedy directly at 661-272-2506. If you would like to remain anonymous, you may do so by calling Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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