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Roseville Police See Alarming Increase in 'Grab and Go' Robberies

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — Roseville police say they've seen an alarming increase in "grab and go" cellphone store robberies.

There have been at least 15 this year in Roseville, including another Tuesday at an AT&T store on Douglas Boulevard. The robbery turned the nearby residential neighborhood into a wild scene. Police descended on the quiet streets with manicured yards.

"There was probably 10 cop cars, the helicopter, they were saying 'We're not leaving until you come out. We know you're here,'" resident Laurie Huss said.

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People who live in the neighborhood were suddenly taking every precaution.

"We went in, the kids were home, and we closed all our windows, and locked up," resident Peter Young said.

"It was kind of exciting but scary too like, 'Wait, this guy is actually in my neighborhood? Where is he?'" Huss said.

RELATED: Apple Stores Across California Continue To Be Hit By Robbers

Roseville police say they have seen an alarming trend in cellphone store robberies. There have been 15 so far this year including a "grab and go" at the Apple store in the Roseville Galleria August 15. A pair of suspects were caught on camera as they walked out of the store with expensive merchandise in their hands.

"We're doing a solid investigation with all of those cases but to us it doesn't seem like it's just one crew but possibly a trend now that we're seeing," Roseville police spokesman Rob Baquera said.

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It's a troubling trend for cellphone stores and surrounding neighborhoods.

Police on Tuesday were able to make an arrest, following an intense manhunt for a mobile phone thief. Now can they connect him to any of the other crimes?

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