Armed robbers raided an Amazon truck just before Black Friday as package theft runs rampant across the country

amazon truck

A group of armed robbers raided an Amazon delivery truck in Atlanta and stole 60 packages before fleeing.
The Atlanta Police Department told Business Insider that the incident happened last Wednesday afternoon in the days leading up to the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
More shoppers than ever are choosing online retailers over brick and mortar shops, and Amazon leads the online retail space.
As online shopping becomes more popular, theft of holiday packages from US homes are becoming more frequent.
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A group of armed robbers raided an Amazon delivery truck in Atlanta and stole 60 packages before fleeing.

Investigator James H. White III of the Atlanta Police Department told Business Insider that the incident happened last Wednesday afternoon in the days leading up to the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales in November and December are expected to achieve record revenue of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion.

According to White, two Amazon delivery drivers said they were approached by four men while they were driving along their delivery route in southeast Atlanta. Two of the men pulled out guns and proceeded to steal 60 packages before fleeing the scene.

The drivers were unharmed in the incident. White said an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Amazon said in a statement to WSB-TV Atlanta that the robbery a "terrible incident" and said it was working with law enforcement and delivery service partners in the investigation.

"We work with every driver to ensure he or she knows that safety is our first priority," the statement said.

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Police Department released a video on its social media accounts giving people tips on how to prevent theft of their holiday purchases during the busy shopping season.

"The holiday season is a perfect opportunity for criminals to steal valuable gifts and packages from your home," officer James Dimaso said in the video.

The police department recommends requiring a signature for packages delivered to your workplace, scheduling deliveries for when you're home, using a smart package locker, or installing cameras outside your home.

A 2017 report found that nearly 26 million Americans have had a holiday package delivery stolen from outside their residence.

"Around the country, more than 1.7 million packages are stolen or go missing every day — adding up to more than $25 million in lost goods and services," The New York Times reported citing an analysis done for the newspaper by engineering professor José Holguín-Veras, the director of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems.

Online shopping hit a milestone in February, with more shoppers choosing online retailers over brick and mortar shops for the first time in history, according to a report from the Commerce Department. Amazon leads the online retail space, becoming the world's largest online retailer earlier this year.

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