In this file photo, a customer displays an Apple iPhone 3GS at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif.
Police say four young men snatched $10,000 worth of iPhones from displays at the Apple Store at Park City Center and ran out the door with them.
The thieves took 17 of the popular cell phones around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, removing them from displays where the phones were tethered, according to Lancaster city police.
The loss totaled $9,983.
The top-of-the-line phones had been turned off and their SIM cards had been removed, police said.
All of the suspects are described as being in their late teens or early 20s. Each was wearing casual clothing, such as sweatshirts and baseball caps.
The phones were entered into the National Crime Information Center, a computerized index of criminal justice information that includes stolen property.
Thieves in other cities have targeted Apple stores in quick-hit thefts caught on videos. In Marlton, N.J., five thieves broke into an Apple Store in September and dashed off with 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and nine iPods, worth about $50,000, all in just 31 seconds. A group of five thieves snatched phones from a store in Chandler, Ariz., in August.
City police Sgt. Mike Winters said police are investigating the local theft, which was recorded on video.
"We're not sure if it's an isolated incident or someone seizing an opportunity at a store," he said.
Another shoplifting occurred several hours later Wednesday at Kohl's at Park City, police said. Hector L. Alamo, 35, of 345 Lafayette St., was cited with retail theft after he was seen making a switch of old and new shoes, police said.