Minneapolis Apple store ransacked by looters

Apple Store Minneapolis
Apple Store Minneapolis (Image credit: @Ben Goggin)

What you need to know

  • The Minneapolis Apple store has been devastated by looters.
  • The store was boarded up on Thursday after an attack on the glass front.
  • Overnight, looters gained entry and took everything.

Apple's Minneapolis store on Hennepin Avenue has been ransacked by looters, amidst riots in the city following the death of George Floyd.

The store was attacked earlier in the week by looters who pulled up to the store in cars, attacking the storefront glass with a sledgehammer before leaving.

From that report:

Apple's Uptown Minneapolis Store, located on Hennepin Avenue was also targeted during the protests. According to local outlet Wedge LIVE, the Uptown store has had its window smashed during the course of the violence.An eyewitness reportedly said:"Wow, just watched a bunch of cars pull up to the Apple store and people were gathering, a sledge hammer was pulled out and took a few swings then they retreated."

As Business Insider reports, the store was boarded up following the damage to the storefront. However, on Thursday night, looters forced their way in. The pictured scene was found at 8 am on Friday morning.

As you can see, debris litters the entire floor, all of the tables have been stripped of product, and one overturned. The center Apple Watch display table has had its glass top smashed. Towards the back of the store, several display shelf areas used to store headphones, accessories, and more have been completely cleared of inventory. The image shows a scene of utter devastation.

Protected by proximity software which stops display units working outwith the store, and imaged with a special Apple profile, all of the display tech taken will be rendered useless. Only the boxed accessories at the back of the store are of value outside the store's walls.

Yesterday, Tim Cook tweeted in support of justice in the area stating:

Minneapolis is grieving for a reason. To paraphrase Dr. King, the negative peace which is the absence of tension is no substitute for the positive peace which is the presence of justice. Justice is how we heal.

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Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9