Someone’s stealing phones at South End bars. Reporter tried to find out why.
A new kind of serial criminal — or more likely criminals — is stalking the crowded bars and restaurants of South End these days, preying on the pockets and purses of the unsuspecting.
They use busy atmospheres as cover to slip in and slip out before anyone can notice they’ve fallen victim to this new heinous crime: cellphone thefts.
An innocent bump by a stranger may have actually been an opportunity to swipe a phone from a back pocket or purse. And a quick conversation or trip to the bar provides just enough time to pluck a phone from a tabletop.
It’s a problem that’s been on the rise this year, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. CMPD said 37 phone larcenies have been reported between Jan. 1 and June 23 in popular bar and restaurant districts.
Unfortunately, by the time most people realize they’ve been victimized, their phone is long gone. In one case, a woman tracked her phone to China after it was stolen during a night at The Rose Honky Tonk on East Bland Street, WBTV reported.
A bartender, who works at both The Rose Honky Tonk and The Brickyard nearby on South Tryon Street, said Wednesday night she thinks the thieves work together in a professional operation. On a bad night, she said, she’s had as many as 10 people report their cellphone was stolen. It’s a problem that’s swept the block.
Morgan Luther, an assistant manager at The Gin Mill, said pickpockets hit the bar a few times, particularly when the bar is packed after concerts and sporting events, or when tourists are drawn the Queen City.
“It’s on weekends,” she said. “Where they know there’s gonna be a lot of people overdrinking and shoulder-to-shoulder.”
She said she isn’t aware of anyone being caught, but the bar posted signs warning people to secure their belongings. The large white signs with red letters warn patrons that CMPD has alerted the bar to people taking wallets and phones. Bouncers remind people to keep their purses closed, and a general manager will circulate throughout the night, keeping a close eye on customers and reminding them to watch their property.
“They read the signs and they’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ They move their stuff out of their back pocket and move it to the front,” Luther said.
The bar has tried looking at security footage, but it hasn’t helped.
“When you’re looking at 300 people inside of a bar at one time, you can’t really … zoom in and catch and see exactly what’s going on inside of the floor, over all the heads and shoulders,” Luther said.
While news of the crime spree has spread among bartenders and managers, there are patrons who remain blissfully unaware.
At Sycamore, located along the light rail tracks running through the neighborhood, several patrons said they weren’t aware of the cellphone thefts. Many drinking at the packed bar, with indoor and outdoor seating, declined to comment on Wednesday.
Across the tracks, the outdoor tables were crowded with people at Trolley Barn Fermentory & Food Hall Wednesday night.
A woman who gave her name only as Sally said she and her boyfriend just moved to Charlotte last weekend from Philadelphia, where things like stolen phones happen all the time.
Other customers left their phones beside them at their tables while enjoying the drinks and chatting with friends. Perhaps news of the crimes hadn’t reached them either. Will it be too late when it does? Unlike Gotham City, CMPD doesn’t have a masked vigilante to help crack the case.
Sitting on the outdoor patio at Tavern on the Tracks with friends, Jackson Junkins and Gatlin Lawson said they were aware of the phone thefts and had heard of the woman whose phone was tracked to China.
Junkins, who lives just across the street from the bar, and Lawson said they weren’t too concerned about the thefts because it hasn’t happened to them.
As dusk shifted to night in South End, the bars and restaurants grew busier. It begged the question: where and when will these thieves strike next?
