With its built-in camera, large color display and distinctive walkie-talkie beep, the Nextel i850 phone ranks among the hottest-selling items at Miami's ISN Telcom.
Maybe too hot.
The popular model was among 50 phones -- total value between $15,000 and $20,000 -- looted by robbers last week at the Nextel distributor. Police suspect the same robbers in at least three other robberies that targeted high-end Nextel phones at stores in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
In last week's incident, in Miami's Upper Eastside, two robbers, one armed with a shotgun, stuffed the phones in four garbage bags, police said.
`THEY'RE POPULAR'
They stole our high-end phones. These phones have not been out more than two or three months,'' said Jonathan Lieberman, who owns seven ISN stores in South Florida. Maybe they're targeting us because they're popular.''
SEVERAL INCIDENTS
Robbers used duct tape to bind store workers and wielded shotguns in other recent incidents at Nextel stores in Pembroke Pines, North Miami and North Miami Beach, authorities say.
They all appear to have similar MOs and similar subjects,'' said North Miami Beach Detective Michael Stein.
In last week's Miami robbery, police say that two men burst into the store, 5084 Biscayne Blvd., at about 7 p.m. on Friday.
They tied up two workers there, stole their wallets and keys, then raided the phones and the cash box.
They can sell them on the streets,'' said one of those workers, Conrad Vargas, 22, of the popular i850s and i860s.
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