Fresno cell phone store burglarized twice in one week

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Owners are now removing cell phones and money from the store every night to deter thieves.

Companies that sell mobile phones are being targeted more and more often locally. It's causing some to take more extreme measures to protect their merchandise.

During most of these break-ins, the thieves get thousands of dollars in cell phones. This one was no different, only the suspect opened every drawer in the business except for the one with money in it.

The Metro PCS store on Shaw Avenue at Maroa has been hit up twice in a week. Burglars have bashed in the back door and pried their way through a metal screen door and then a triple locked door.

"They just took basically all the new models and the merchandise that was in the back that was a new shipment, everything was gone," said Martin Ramirez, Metro PCS Employee.

The suspect, seen in surveillance video, wore dark clothes and a hoody. Cameras show him opening all the locked cabinets -- and cleaning them out. He also wore gloves during the crime spree making it more difficult to lift his fingerprints.

Martin Ramirez works at the store and says the suspects either scoped it out before or were familiar with the layout. "They weren't searching like where was this, where was that, they already knew where everything was at. Except the money. Except the money. They didn't get the money. They opened up everything except for where the money was at."

The thieves got away with several thousand dollars of cell phones.

The store owner has decided to remove all phones from the business each night, and take the cash. Employees say a 24 hour a day business a few doors down hasn't deterred crime -- so they hope the next burglars will at least end up leaving empty handed and disappointed.

No arrests have been made in this case. Right now, it's unknown if the same suspects are involved in both crimes that happened just days apart.