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Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 | 1:54 p.m.
Metro Police arrested two men and six juveniles as part of an investigation into two groups of bandits who would grab cell phones right out of victims’ hands, even as they were on the phone, authorities said.
The department has received reports of about 50 incidents of such cell phone thefts in the southwest valley over the past eight months, police said.
Two of the suspects have been identified as Justin Profit, 18, and Joseph Neal Cardenas, 24, both of Las Vegas, police said.
Both men, who police say are not part of the same group, have been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on counts including burglary, grand larceny and conspiracy to commit robbery.
The arrests took place over the past several weeks, and police are still searching for more suspects, Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said.
The suspects tended to hit places where people are typically more relaxed, such as coffee shops or restaurants, Cassell said. They targeted people who appeared distracted or were not paying attention to their surroundings, he said.
The suspects would then run by the victim, grab the phone and flee to a getaway vehicle, police said. In some cases, the phone was snatched while the victim was still talking or texting on it.
“This is a classic case that individuals who are situationally aware can dramatically reduce the chances of being victimized,” Cassell said.
The two groups of cell phone bandits consist primarily of young male adults, but include one female, police said. They often stole the latest generation of Apple iPhones, although larger tablet-style devices also were taken, police said.
Since stolen cell phones can be easily resold, these types crimes are expected to increase, police said.
Thefts can also escalate into violent confrontations between the suspects and a victim or bystander, though no such incidents have been reported, police said.
Profit was being being held on $118,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Cardenas was being held on $215,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Metro’s Enterprise Area Command’s problem-solving unit made the arrests and is investigating the thefts.
be careful of people asking to borrow your phone too. Make the phone call for them instead.
@tom
I wouldn't even do that unless it was an emergency situation. Not here. We're not in Kansas.
18 and 24 with felony records. Yep, they're off to a good start in this life. Good luck getting a job, a loan, an apartment for the next 60 years. A felony record will follow you around like the tail on a dog. 2 losers, plus their accomplices.
Tom I agree I go every morning to get coffee at a fastfood joint and sit a while with others and this guy kept asking me to help him like his truck is broke down on one occassion and another time it was can I use your phone my car is broke down while flashing a phone number to seal the deal, So I said no LOUDLY and he would leave but he would return a week or so later. I think it's because there are a lot of older people there so I declared very LOUDLY to everyone I thought he might be trying to scam them to beware of him. I have not seen him since.
@casinokid
Agreed. There are so many scams in this town..I ignore anyone who says "excuse me" at this point. I know they're looking to sell me something, begging or running a scam.
The latest scam going are these kids knocking on your door and trying to con you into a magazine subscription for a soldier in Afghanistan. It's a scam. Soldiers are not getting the subscriptions and these "professional" scammers are pocketing the money. Even if they are truly sending subscriptions they are pocketing a huge fee for themselves. I encourage everyone never to send money to professional fundraisers unless you are 100% certain your donation goes toward a worthy cause instead of a scam artist pocketing 90% and "donating" the rest....send it directly to the Red Cross. It's the best donation.