he thieves didn't touch two laptop computers next to a large display of Boost Mobile phones. And they never attempted to open the cash register. Instead, they stole 30 Boost phones — with a combined value of approximately $4,000. Business owner Carlos Medeiros saw the damage Thursday morning. The front lock was missing and the glass front door smashed. The thieves apparently used a rock to break the door. Inside the store, they drew a faint circle and wrote an obscene message in a thin layer of dust. "You try to do the best you can for people, and then you get hit in the face like this," said Medeiros, 41, who owns the store at the corner of Holly Street and Acushnet Avenue. Medeiros closed the store at 10 p.m. Wednesday. He saw the damage when he arrived at the store just after 9 a.m. Thursday. He said he plans to offer a substantial reward for anyone who helps police arrest the suspects. There had been no arrests as of Thursday evening. Medeiros said he had been planning a wall display with a large banner to advertise the new shipment of Boost phones he had just recently ordered to sell for the holidays. The thieves stole three rows of the Boost phones, which sell for between $159 on a pre-paid plan and $200 for a monthly plan. Less expensive phones on a nearby shelf were left untouched. "They targeted the entire section. They took everything," Medeiros said. Medeiros believes the suspects planned to sell the phones on the street. He has notified other local businesses, including pawn shops, to be aware of people trying to sell them. "It's a quick sale on the streets," he said. Police have said individuals who steal high-end cell phones such as Boost and Sidekicks — which sell for as much as $300 — are known to turn around and sell them on the street or via online auction sites such as eBay for around $100. The phones can be easily transferred between users because they operate on SIM card technology. All someone has to do is switch out the SIM card with their own and they have a new, expensive phone. Young people have been assaulted and robbed for their phones while walking the streets, usually at night in poorly lit areas. Medeiros said a customer was robbed two weeks ago at knifepoint in front of his store. He said a street light at the corner was damaged three months ago and has not been repaired, despite his requests. Medeiros said Thursday he was working with his insurance company to see if he could recoup any of the losses. "I don't know how long that will take. It doesn't do much for me now," he said. Medeiros said he plans to use a bigger padlock and more electronic sensors in the store, including a motion-sensor light near the front doorway. "Basically, we'll just now try to keep an eye on the store more and reinforce everything," he said. "It makes you want to quit, but you just can't."
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