Robbers target more than a dozen GameStop stores in California
Thieves posing as customers before running to the back to grab gaming consoles
GameStop is offering a $5,000 reward to capture the thieves responsible for targeting more than a dozen stores robbed last week in California.
"They're armed, and they're forceful, and they're physical and violent. So that's scary, especially for our employees," Alan Fagergren with GameStop told FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Security footage shows the robbery unfolding at a store in Arleta on Monday. Three thieves look like they are posing as customers before bolting into the back and running away with gaming consoles under their arms. The suspects drove away in a "white, newer car," police said. Los Angeles Police Department investigators said the group threatened the employee in this particular instance, saying that they were armed.
The thieves targets appear to be next-generation gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5. The consoles retail for about $500, but due to high demand they can be sold quickly for good profit.
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File photo of a GameStop video game store entrance in strip mall with signs photographed in San Jose, California. (iStock / iStock)
"It's worth some money. Like I said they're not cheap. Anyone who plays it loves it. We're a target at the moment, yeah," Fagergren said.
The LAPD suspects the same three people for all the robberies due to the methods being similar. The robbers wear hoodies and face masks, then quickly run for the consoles before heading for the door.
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Thieves are targeting PlayStation 5s at GameStop stores in San Fernando Valley, California. (Sony Interactive Entertainment / Fox News)
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"We're done," Fagergren said about why they are offering the reward to catch who is responsible. "We want it to stop and feel safe in our stores."