Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Vegas Apple Store Before/After Robbers

Posted on: February 14, 2024, 09:53h. 

Last updated on: February 15, 2024, 11:40h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

Probably the most bizarre story to emerge from Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend went unreported by local media until Wednesday, and had little to do with the big game.

One of two thieves at a Las Vegas Apple Store,
One of two thieves, unchallenged by terrified employees of a Las Vegas Apple Store, unplugs laptops and tablets that are then calmly walked out the front entrance during Super Bowl weekend. (Image: Bryan Lebo/YouTube)

At least two thieves calmly, brazenly, and methodically robbed an Apple Store in the Downtown Summerlin shopping mall twice on Saturday, February 10 — once at 11:45 a.m., and again around 6 p.m., according to news reports.

Las Vegas Metropolitan police said they arrested one juvenile captured on video stealing an armful of merchandise.

The Bizarre Part

In between the robberies, Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was in town to attend the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, posed for a photo with the very same store’s still-shaken staff for the following cheery X/Twitter post.

Of course, no mention was made of the robbery that had just occurred fewer than two hours earlier.

Back for Seconds

Local real estate agent Bryan Lebo had a 6 p.m. appointment to try out the new Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset at the Downtown Summerlin Apple Store. Little did he know, he was about to get more immersion than he bargained for.

A couple of minutes into the demo, I heard the store alarm go off,” Lebo said on his YouTube channel. “Now, I’ve been in the Apple Store a million times when the alarm went off. So, honestly, I really didn’t even think too much of it. But, after a few seconds, I looked at the employee who was giving the demo .. and noticed a weird, disappointed, and disgusted look on his face.”

Thieves return to the scene of the crime later that same day. (Image: Bryan Lebo/YouTube)

Lebo said he removed his goggles just as one of the two robbers walked toward him. According to Lebo, each carried between four and eight laptops and tablets. Lebo videoed the final seconds of the robbery with his smartphone.

According to Lebo’s YouTube post, the Apple employee giving him the demo told him: “They were here earlier today. Just let them take everything. They’re not going to do anything.”

Police arrived within five minutes, Lebo said. But the thieves were already gone.

Two days before these thefts, video posted to social media captured a similar theft at an Oakland Apple store.