difficult for a thief to resell the part. California Attorney general Rob Bonta, announcing a major bus today in the case of a retail theft crime ring, believed to be responsible for the looting of Apple stores all across the Bay Area. Let's go to KTVU Zac sos, who is live in the newsroom with details zac sos about more than $1 million in merchandise iPhones ipads lifted from area Apple stores and then sold a little Today. The state a G, saying a specialized CHP task force has taken down that crime ring. Today's announcement should serve as yet another warning to those who engage in this criminal activity for watching you and we will hold you accountable. California Attorney General Rob Bonta charging eight people with orchestrating a wide ranging retail theft crime ring targeting Apple stores across the Bay Area, and other parts of the state boxes full of Apple products recovered during a raid by CHP officers. This goes far beyond petty theft or shoplifting. This is organized Criminal activity and we won't put up with it in our state suspects hitting stores in 11 counties over the last six months, stealing $1 million worth of gear in November. Cell phone video captured mass thieves making off with merchandise and an apple store in Palo Alto CHP not saying whether those criminals are connected to today's arrest, but adding the M O is the same. Entering stores with shoppers and employees inside and present. Grabbing goods off the shelves and stealing iPhones ipads the officers behind the bus, part of the CHP's organized Retail Crime Task force unit that California retailers Association says it heavily lobbied for thrilled and this is what we hoped for. You know, we pushed really hard to get These task forces to become a reality . I think it actually helps us keep businesses and retailers open because they know that they have partners like the CHP task forces. They're going to protect them. A move that several customers at the Apple Store in Palo Alto say we'll also provide them with peace of mind. I think it's completely necessary that you know the stores feel safe that people walking the streets feel safe, so Yeah, I'm completely supportive of Enforcement. Doing what they need to do. People are on edge, and it spills over to other things. Yeah, we need to respect each other's space and respect each other's property and Do decent things since 2019 the task force recovering more than $28 million worth of stolen merchandise for all retail statewide, CHP assistant Chief Steve Ramos sang the unit is just getting started. Most of these suspects Have no fear of arrest. Or conviction. We plan on changing that dynamic. And the eight suspects arrested in connection with those Apple store theft, now facing a range of charges, including conspiracy to commit retail theft and grand theft, asking anyone with additional information on the crimes, including video or photos to reach out, Claudia. That's a lot of product that you just showed us that they recovered. Have they had any Ability or success yet to kind of connect them to where it all came from. You know, I did ask them that and they said they do know some of the stores. But as for all of the stores are not ready to identify those stories just yet, because they say the amount of stolen items is so large that they're still trying to trace them back
