Thieves rob Best Buy blind

A diabolical ring of super-thieves has been terrorizing the good people of Tulsa, OK., by conducting elaborate burglaries of stores like Best Buy and Office Depot. In their most recent exploit, the robbers cut two holes in the roof of a Best Buy, rappelled into the store, disabled the alarm system, and then stole more than 40 laptops, a number of plasma TVs and the store's safe. A local crime reporter claims they "leave behind no fingerprints, no witnesses and no surveillance tapes". They also reportedly have super-human strength, psionic powers, and can all fly at nearly supersonic speeds.

[Travis @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:27AM]

PWNED

[g76monte @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:29AM]

awesome, best buy deserves it

[Eric @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:33AM]

This is really cool

[L. Cyphre @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:37AM]

They took 40 laptops. That's as many as four tens.
And that's terrible.

(sorry, 4chan joke, couldn't stop myself)

[ssuk @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:14AM]

Learn the rules of the internet and lurk moar

[jrod @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:18AM]

CANCER THATS KILLIN /b/

[cfrog7 @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:36PM]

OMG thats sweet, isn't that from the superman dictionary
Lex Luthor stole 40 cakes, thats as many as 4 tens.
And that's terrible.

[p-diddy @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:41PM]

Rules 1 and 2 is a 4chan reference based on the rules of Fight Club, a movie that came out 8 years ago, i.e., half a lifetime for most of the 4chan crowd.

Feh. Loved Fight Club but the whole "you do not talk about fight club" jokes were old in like 2000. gg, 4chan'ers.

[GalaXy @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:38AM]

I love when thieves are smart. I feel like anyone who gets away with a robbery, deserves to keep whatever they stole.

[Mike @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:43AM]

Because robbery is a victimless crime?

[steve @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:52AM]

Well, if this had been an someone's house, I'd feel bad for them. But this is fricken Best Buy. Considering that best buy robs innocent customers every day, this just starts to make up for it. Maby these thieves are like the new robin hood (though I doubt they're giving the proceeds back to the real victims)

[mike k. @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:01AM]

@steve

I'm sure you'll be happy when best buy raises their prices even further because they have to install more advance security systems into all of their stores, because of idiots like this who feel just because they're clever means they can steal property that is not theirs.

[daedalus @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:10AM]

@ mike x


well apparently they are smart... they actually did steal it, not just think they can... and now it is theirs

and who gives a shit if best buy raises their prices... you can get a better deal on pretty much anything at B&H or like... the internet

[GalaXy @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:10AM]

@ Mike
No, because with all of the alarms, cameras, and other surveillance, it's hard to pull off a robbery of this magnitude anymore. It's at a major electronics chain, which has a mark-up on all of it's items, not to mention insurance to cover it all. If it was at someone's house, I wouldn't be happy. As a burglary victim, myself, it sucks, but for someone to be intelligent enough to do more than break a window, I give them credit.

[Kracko @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:31AM]

@mike k and don't forget that they'll raise the cost of earning that measly $5 reward certificate from $250 to $500.

[Mike @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:47AM]

@ GalaXy
Well the clarification on the person vs faceless corporation is good to hear. But I still wouldnt go so far as to say they deserve the loot.
Whether Best Buy shafts it's honest customers or not, I still don't think it's justifiable. I just don't shop there.

[p-diddy @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:51AM]

I had the same conversation with my dad when I was about 20 about hacking:

"But dad, if someone is clever enough to hack around security systems, and they don't delete anything, what's the harm in that. I don't think it should be a crime"

My dad just couldn't grasp my point. "But it's not theirs to poke around in in the first place."

I still viewed the world as the little guy vs. the big corporation and if the little guy can stick it to the corp, the little guy should be rewarded.

Now that I'm older and actually have my own stuff, I realize naive I was. Look, the distinction between burglarizing a person's house and a big electronics store is... wait for it.... NOTHING. I have homeowner's insurance. I will be compensated if you come and take my stuff. But that doesn't make it ok! It's still my stuff in my house and you have no right to it. Just because "my house" in this case is best buy doesn't make it less of a social wrong.

I loved Ocean's 11 - 13 and appreciated the cleverness of their fictionalized heists, but at the end of the day, they are still committing a felony.

Lock 'em up.

-p-

[WL @ Jun 22nd 2007 2:29PM]

I would feel bad if Best Buys's CEO's home was robed (or should i say one of his homes?) because thats his personal space, but Best Buy's prices are already set in order to forecast burglary, vandalism, and still make a profit, and if these things don't happen it just means more profit for Best Buy. I wouldn't go as far as to say the criminals deserve the loot but its hard to have a bleeding heart or feel outraged over what happened.

[tekdroid @ Jun 22nd 2007 5:10PM]

GalaXy @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:10AM:
As a burglary victim, myself, it sucks, but for someone to be intelligent enough to do more than break a window, I give them credit.
--------------
...but obviously not intelligent enough to get a real job.

[Soeren @ Jun 22nd 2007 6:06PM]

And where does it say the thieves doesnt have a real job?

[GalaXy @ Jun 23rd 2007 1:34AM]

@ tekdroid

What? Where does it say anything about not having a real job?

I'm not in favor of theft. All I was saying was that to pull off a crime of that caliber, takes a lot of planning and, yes, some sort of, intelligence. Not to mention they were able to boost plasma TVs and 40 laptops. That is a lot of merchandise to grab in a relatively short amount of time.

[Dustin @ Jun 27th 2007 12:50AM]

They do have a real job:
selling stolen shit on ebay

[daedalus @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:40AM]

George Clooney presents:

Oceans Electronics

"Prices so low it's criminal!"

[ForumMaster @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:07AM]

exactly what i was thinking! sounds like Ocean's 11 except why not pick a better target? sounds like gadget freaks to me...

[Jack Storm @ Jun 22nd 2007 1:51PM]

@ForumMaster

Thats just a warmup.
They needed the plasmas, laptops and money to organize and fund their next target.

[daedalus @ Jun 22nd 2007 1:56PM]

actually they were just furnishing their hideout... think about it... best buy... office depot... ikea, you're fuck'd!

[SubGenius @ Jun 22nd 2007 3:05PM]

Maybe they are getting warmed up for the big Apple?
iPhone! hello!

[Allan @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:54AM]

Wow... that station even has their own "crime reporter." Oh wait... it's just their anchor.

[StrangeBum @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:00AM]

I don't know why, maybe it's the fact that I worked at a BestBuy and know just how much they rob their customers, but I love reading this. Now if only these people could make their way to the store I worked at.

Oh, and BestBuy was pwn3d!!!

[TQ @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:57AM]

I feel that it's TOTALLY possible for an employee to be part of the team that robbed them. Think about it - in order to orchestrate it flawlessly they'd need to know what time to hit, where to deactivate the alarm, and how to move all the electronics out without getting caught.

Inside job ftw.

[John Stracke @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:01AM]

If they leave behind no surveillance tapes, how does anybody know they rappelled in? Maybe these are inside jobs, but they cut holes in the roof to misdirect investigators.

[Parker @ Jun 22nd 2007 4:38PM]

well they didnt jump down 40 50 feet or hover down or i guess they flew down

[John Stracke @ Jun 22nd 2007 4:43PM]

No, I mean maybe they got in some normal way (e.g., by hiding inside at closing time). They cut a hole in the roof, but they didn't go in through it.

[x--- @ Aug 16th 2007 1:00AM]

It would be nearly imposible for them to hide during close, i work at best buy and after the manager activates the night alarms even the smallest movement will set them off(we've had balloons set them off), thus the only logical way they could enter would be via the roof.

[John Stracke @ Aug 16th 2007 9:19AM]

But, if it's an inside job, the manager might be in on it, and not turn on the alarms.

[Belial20XX @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:01AM]

Great you really gotta love these guys stickin it to the man. Now maybe people can pay actual reasonable street prices for some good stuff. Come on, you know you want some deal where normally you pay sometimes up to 10x the price of actual cost and best buy does this. Have you seen ram or computer hardware prices at bestbuy 512mb is like 75-80 and a 8600gt is 200 while at newegg its as cheap as 19.99 for same amount of ram and 129 for the 8600gt and that shows you how much they inflate their prices..So the title of this should be BEST BUY GOT PWND BY THE LIL GUYS WOO HOO ... am i cynical or what lol...

[Kracko @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:32AM]

What I've done is when I need something over the weekend, I it at BBY. Then order it from newegg on Monday and return the item I bought from newegg to bby once it arrives.

[johnzilla @ Jun 22nd 2007 1:49PM]

Um, yeah. Losing 40 laptops and a few TVs is going to make a huge difference in prices chain-wide. Not.

[HAHAHA @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:02AM]

I love it. I also love the fact "Best Buy" has the absolute worst price on electronics you can find lol.

Bravo

[Chuckles McGee @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:03AM]

I'll take this as karma for the highway robbery Bestbuy commits when they convince customers that they need those hundred dollar HDMI cables (and of course, doesn't carry any of the $10 varieties)

[Belial20XX @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:10AM]

Tell me about it. I bought a belkin y spliter rca to 1/8" converter cable for my mixer at best buy. Paid 22 or so for it. A mnth later or so I went to a target and saw the same one for 6 bucks Oh i was burned but i bought another 2 from target just in case.

[shirizaki @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:05AM]

All BBY surveillance equipment is kept at the front....along with the alarm pad. As long as you've watched someone enable/disable it, you can do it.

I mean, seriously it's that easy. Hell, if they disabled the alarm they probably just walked out of the back warehouse door (it's controlled by the alarm). I'm surprised they didn't steal something substantial like a plasma TV.

[enjoi @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:19AM]

they did steal plasma tv's u dumbass

[Steve D. @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:08AM]

AWESOME.

Maybe they have a portable EMP generator :D

[Anonymous Coward @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:05PM]

Maybe not the best strategy when stealing from an electronics store.

[fred @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:14AM]

Ya know, this is what's wrong with the world. You idiots who are saying, "Good Job! Way to stick Best Buy!" Yeah, way to stick us, the consumers. Those losses get passed on in the cost of other products, morons. I'm not saying that Best Buy doesn't rip people off, but if you really want to stick them, DON'T SHOP THERE. I'll bet you guys are the same people who were like, "WOOO! May 15th GAS OUT!!!! WEEE!!!" How blatantly stupid can you be?

[Grey Acumen @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:22AM]

Honestly, I agree with you, but even knowing this I can't help but respect the skill and forethought involved. Thing is, it sounds to me like the place has been cased, so it's possible they'll be able to notice any odd behavior from previous security tapes.

I'm totally getting the theme from mission impossible with the whole hovering over the lasers part.

[g76monte @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:00AM]

i don't spend money at bestbuy anymore (haven't since 2002, when they decided an extended service warranty that i paid over 20% of the products price for, wasn't valid) douche.
so, i could give a f--- about them. they have been raping customers for years, every time anything bad happens to them it makes me happy. karma comes back and bites them in the a--.

[Kracko @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:32AM]

Not really...their insurance will cover it and their insurance cost will barely go up.

[jason @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:59AM]

@fred
This is in no way sticking it to the consumers. Anyone who shops at best buy deserves to get ripped off because they know they will be ripped off and yet still shops there.

I do agree however that we should all stick it to best buy by shopping for electronics online.