Thieves strike two Fullerton cellphone stores minutes apart

Thieves struck two Fullerton cellphone stores in grab-and-run heists just minutes apart on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Two people wearing hooded sweatshirts walked into the Sprint store at 101 W. Orangethorpe Ave., near Harbor Boulevard, snatched phones that were on display and then fled at about 6:15 p.m., according to Fullerton Police Sgt. Mike Hines.

He said that about 15 minutes later, one similarly dressed person stole display merchandise from the AT&T store at 2323 E. Chapman Ave., roughly 3 miles from the earlier theft.

Hines said that the timing and proximity of the two incidents, as well as the similarities in the suspects’ clothing, led investigators to believe that the heists were somehow related to each other.

A detailed description the suspects was not immediately available from police, and Hines said it was unclear whether any of the thieves were in a vehicle.

No injuries were reported in either theft, said Hines.