75,000 left without phone service when thieves steal equipment

An estimated 75,000 customers were left without phone service for several hours Sunday when three men wearing ski masks broke into a Sprint telephone office and stole computer equipment.

The men tied up two Sprint employees and a contractor, then shot them with stun guns, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesman Steve Meriwether.

The three were not seriously injured.

Sprint spokeswoman Detra Page said the thieves took telephone-related computer equipment that was in use at the time, knocking out service to some 75,000 customers. Sprint has 845,000 customers in the Las Vegas Valley, she said.

The incident occurred about 8 a.m., and service was restored to all customers by about 3 p.m., she said.

Meriwether said the thieves used an acetylene torch to try and cut through a side door to the sprawling building, at a busy intersection on the city's southwest side. When unable to cut their way through the side door, they forced their way through the front door, Meriwether said.

Meriwether said he had no idea of the type or value of the equipment.

"Whatever it was, they really wanted it," he said.

"It was equipment that was being used to relay calls," Ms. Page said. "They did know what they were after. It is believed it was stolen to be resold."

She said she had no idea of the value of the stolen equipment.

Police have no suspects in the robbery, Meriwether said. He said the thieves obviously had a working knowledge of the equipment that was stolen.

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