Thieves Continue to Target Stores Selling Hoverboards

If you have a teen in your life, then a hoverboard might be high on their Christmas list. All their favorite rappers and Vine stars have one. Not coincidentally, the boards are also at the top of thieves' wish lists this year. In the past week alone, two separate stores selling the trendy toy have been robbed with burglars making away with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. 

The latest robbery occurred at Sonrisas Electronics in downtown Miami at 145 E. Flagler St. on Saturday night. The store had display models in its windows and throughout the showroom, and thieves smashed the store's windows and went on a grabbing spree. In all, they made off with about 40 of the boards. 

Store owner Daniel Feldman tells CBS Miami that the boards can go for up to $500 a piece. He was flabbergasted that such a brazen robbery could occur in downtown. 

“Being a street that’s full of cops all the time and bustling traffic 24/7, I don’t see how this can happen in a very busy street like Flagler and without anyone knowing,” he told the station. 

However, Feldman isn't alone in having his inventory raided. 

Last Monday night, thieves also targeted the  Felix Hobby Shop on Northeast 119th Street in North Miami. The store had previously been burglarized on November 24, but robbers returned again to wipe out the store's hoverboard supply. The manner of entry was similar. The thieves busted out the glass in the front door. In addition to the boards, they also made off with other expensive hobby supplies. 

The men's faces were caught on surveillance camera.


Anyone with any information about the Miami-Dade robberies is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. 

The threat isn't contained to just stores, however. There are reports in Broward of thieves directly stealing the boards from people riding them out in public.