Video surveillance cameras at an elementary school in Oklahoma City caught a group of teens suspected of stealing and damaging dozens of iPads July 18.
School officials estimate the theft and damage cost Arthur Elementary School between $20,000 and $25,000.
Because the teens were not pictured with the iPads and are clearly minors, police are calling them persons of interest in the investigation, reports okcfox.com.
School security officers discovered the vandalism the night of the incident and contacted police. Arthur Elementary School Principal Rhonda Schroeder went to the school the same night to see the damage.
“To be honest, when I thought it was adults I was kind of angry, disturbed about it,” Schroeder says. “When I learned it appeared to be school-aged kids, we have not identified if they are Arthur students or students from another school, I was sad. In my heart I feel like there’s probably intervention and supports that need to be in place for these kiddos to make better decisions.”
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Overall, at least 23 iPads were stolen and ten more were destroyed. The devices were part of a gift of hundreds of iPads donated through a joint effort with Apple, AT&T and community members last year.
The students are believed to have entered the school through a crawl space that leads to a boiler room.
Principal Schroeder says the information on the iPads is secure and the iPads can be tracked if they’re turned on.
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