Teens charged after shops swarmed

A large group of teens has been charged with storming a pair of Lethbridge stores in an effort to swipe as many iPhones as they could carry.

According to Lethbridge police, a group of five young males dressed in winter clothing entered the iWorld store in the southern Alberta city’s Park Place Mall on Friday where they managed to grab nine iPhones in just under a minute before fleeing the store on foot.

But police said the spree didn’t stop there, as the group then tried their luck at a Staples store on the north side of the mall where two more iPhones were pocketed.

When a staff member tried to stop them, police allege the teens threatened the employee before they again bolted into the parking lot.

The group then hopped a fence and ran across Highway 3, according to witnesses.

Police said that the group later circled back to the mall where they were picked up by a waiting vehicle that was followed by officers, eventually cutting them off in a dead-end parking lot.

The teens fled on foot but with the help of witnesses and the force’s K9 unit, seven males were eventually arrested.

The collared teens included both the individuals alleged to have raided the stores as well as lookouts and the getaway driver.

Three Calgary teens, ranging in age from 13 to 17, were nabbed along with three youths from Lethbridge, aged 15, 16 and 17.

All have been charged with conspiracy to commit theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit robbery.

They have subsequently been released with a promise to appear in court.

Both of the 13-year-old Calgary boys are slated to appear in court Tuesday, while the remainder are scheduled to appear before a judge next Wednesday.

Eight of the 11 stolen iPhones were recovered and police said the value of the stolen electronics is about $13,000.

Earlier this month, six teenage boys, ranging in age from 13 to 17, were arrested by Calgary police after they were allegedly involved in a series of violent robberies at several stores in just under four hours.

The teens allegedly swarmed several stores, including a Costco, Best Buy and two Walmarts where merchandise, including electronics, were swiped.

In at least one of the targeted stores, a brawl broke out when the youths were confronted by members of the public and store employees.