Asheville CityMac stores hit for 5th time since March

ASHEVILLE – A burglar hit an Asheville-area CityMac store for the fifth time since March early Friday morning, said Matt Carter, the company's regional service manager.

The break-in occurred at the Tunnel Road location of the company, which sells iPhones and other Apple products, around 1 a.m., Carter said.

Only "some change" was stolen, he said, making the incident different from the other four crimes, in which CityMac sustained "well over $100,000 in losses" of product, Carter said.

A sixth incident occurred about 3 a.m. Saturday at the CityMac Biltmore Park location when the alarm system's motion detector went off, Carter said.

"But there was not a perimeter breach," he said. "It might have been someone knocking on the doors."

Carter touted CityMac's new security system, from iSmartAlarm, based in Sunnyvale, California. That system "instantly sends a message to every manager's IOS device (such as a smartphone)," he said.

"Police arrived (at the Tunnel Road store) in less than two minutes," Carter said, but did not find anyone.

A phone message left Monday for Sgt. Dave Romick of the Asheville Police Department was not immediately returned.

Here is a breakdown of the other burglaries:

March 17: Three thieves broke through the front door and stole an estimated $70,000 worth of Apple products from the Biltmore Avenue store in about two minutes.

March 25: Thieves hit the Biltmore Park store, taking about $30,000 in merchandise in about one minute just before 2 a.m.

June 11: The third smash-and-grab hit the CityMac store on Biltmore Avenue at 4:46 a.m.

June 28: The Biltmore Park store was hit a second time at 4:30 a.m.

In each case, video surveillance showed three masked and hooded suspects using a sledgehammer to smash through the front door. The men took Apple laptops and iPads, carrying off the equipment in large plastic tubs they brought in with them. The suspects were in and out very quickly.

Carter said the Tunnel Road incident appeared different than the others.

"It looked like someone pried open the front doors with a crowbar," he said. "The others were done by professionals with sledgehammers and Rubbermaid containers."

Stolen Apple products may fetch three-quarters of their retail value on the black market, Carter said.

"Rather than giving raises and paying bonuses, we're spending money on armor-plated doors and massive safes, like they have in jewelry stores," he said.

Anyone with information about the Friday incident is urged to contact the Asheville Police Department at 828-252-1110 or Buncombe Crime Stoppers at 828-255-5050.