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Police: Group snatching iPhones from victims' hands

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A group of men is accused of snatching iPhones right out of their owners' hands.

Gwinnett County police said the thieves flashed a gun in one instance, and in another, they used a stun gun. Police said their silver taxi getaway car helped lead to one man's capture. Officers spotted the driver and arrested him, but they said he wasn't working alone.

Surveillance video showed one victim chasing the thieves outside the Gwinnett Place Mall Megamart in late December, police said. They said in the video, the men are running to a waiting silver car marked as a taxi.

The day before, police said, the robbers were even more brazen when they approached a group of teenagers near a Lawrenceville apartment complex.

"One of the suspects got out and approached the group and asked one of the female victims to borrow her cellphone. When she pulled it out, it wasn't a newer model cellphone, and the suspect actually said, 'Never mind,'" Gwinnett County Cpl. Jake Smith said.

Police said one man left but returned with a group of guys.

"A different suspect got out of the car and pointed a gun at the victims and stole a few of their cellphones," Smith said.

According to the arrest warrant, that same man used a cellphone-shaped stun gun on one of the victims.

Later that week, a patrol officer spotted a silver taxi and stopped the driver. Lawrenceville resident Harra Oumer, 19, was arrested. Several cellphones and a cellphone-shaped stun gun were found in the trunk, according to a police report.

Police don't believe Oumer had the gun or used the stun gun, but his alleged role earned him two counts of armed robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gwinnett police at 770-513-5000.