Thieves break into Paris' flagship Apple store PARIS - Masked and armed thieves used the New Year's Eve celebration to rob the flagship Apple store in Paris. The French media reported that up to $1.3 million in goods were stolen from the store selling products such as iPhones and iPads behind the Paris Opera house, a figure police would not immediately confirm. Police said Tuesday that the theft occurred about 9 p.m. Monday, three hours after closing, while police were deployed around the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue where revelers traditionally gather on New Year's Eve. Christophe Crepin of the Unsa police union said the "well prepared" operation was carried out by four masked and armed individuals. The daily Le Parisien reported the thieves entered the store by threatening a security guard at a back entrance.