San Francisco police fire gun, close school in chase to recover stolen iPhone
Police tracked a stolen iPhone in San Francisco to what appeared to be a smartphone theft ring, firing a shot at suspects and briefly locking down an elementary school along the way.
According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, the chase began in 6:30 am when two armed robbers stole an iPhone from an individual on the street in Ocean View.
Police tracked the iPhone to Noe Valley, apparently using Apple's iCloud "Find My iPhone" feature. Upon seeing the officers, the suspects ran, with one attempting to jump a fence into St. Paul's Catholic Church near 29th Street, which is connected to an elementary school.
Police secured the school for about a half hour, just as students were beginning to arrive. The suspect attempting to jump a gate into the church's school campus turned toward police with his hand concealed, resulting in one officer discharging her weapon.
The shot missed and the suspect got away, but police were able to apprehend a second suspect nearby on Church Street, and then tracked the stolen phone to a car about three miles away on the other side of Twin Peaks near Seventh Avenue in the Sunset District.
There, they found a third suspect inside the car and a fourth hiding in the trunk, along with "other allegedly stolen smartphones."
Police then looked up the car's registration to a nearby home, where they detained two additional suspects.
Smartphone thefts in San Francisco have become routine and increasingly involve holdups, often with thieves brandishing weapons. So far, Apple and its carrier partners have done little to make it difficult to use stolen phones, resulting in large market for stolen devices.
However, the company's free iCloud tracking system had helped many users to recover their devices, although it is not difficult for thieves to deactivate the tracking feature, something several bloggers have recommended the company address by at least requiring a password to shut down a stolen phone.
According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, the chase began in 6:30 am when two armed robbers stole an iPhone from an individual on the street in Ocean View.
Police tracked the iPhone to Noe Valley, apparently using Apple's iCloud "Find My iPhone" feature. Upon seeing the officers, the suspects ran, with one attempting to jump a fence into St. Paul's Catholic Church near 29th Street, which is connected to an elementary school.
Police secured the school for about a half hour, just as students were beginning to arrive. The suspect attempting to jump a gate into the church's school campus turned toward police with his hand concealed, resulting in one officer discharging her weapon.
The shot missed and the suspect got away, but police were able to apprehend a second suspect nearby on Church Street, and then tracked the stolen phone to a car about three miles away on the other side of Twin Peaks near Seventh Avenue in the Sunset District.
There, they found a third suspect inside the car and a fourth hiding in the trunk, along with "other allegedly stolen smartphones."
Police then looked up the car's registration to a nearby home, where they detained two additional suspects.
Smartphone thefts in San Francisco have become routine and increasingly involve holdups, often with thieves brandishing weapons. So far, Apple and its carrier partners have done little to make it difficult to use stolen phones, resulting in large market for stolen devices.
However, the company's free iCloud tracking system had helped many users to recover their devices, although it is not difficult for thieves to deactivate the tracking feature, something several bloggers have recommended the company address by at least requiring a password to shut down a stolen phone.
Comments
It seems a little crazy that all this would come from a stolen iPhone, but lets keep in mind:
1) An armed robbery took place.
2) The suspect appeared to pull a weapon at a police officer.
3) There is an organized ring of smartphone thieves in San Francisco.
Of course, no gadget is worth a person's life. But as a resident of the Bay Area, I would love for these thieves to be taken down (and/or their organization).
This is not apple news!
Originally Posted by ny3ranger
This is not apple news!
…
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
…a stolen iPhone…
…stole an iPhone…
…tracked the iPhone… …using Apple's iCloud "Find My iPhone" feature.
…the company's free iCloud tracking system…
Agreed. AI will be on sale at the check out next!
The armed robbery was the kicker. These individuals were clearly very dangerous.
It's a darn shame that the police woman missed. It would have sent a good message to any other Apple thieves out there. Steal a phone and you just might end up dead! Apple devices are the hottest items out there, and thieves are always on the lookout for Apple devices.
And I find it weird that the app on my iPad is called "find iPhone", as it can be used to find any iOS device. That app has been responsible for recovering many stolen Apple devices, but I agree with the end of the article, and Apple should make it even more secure, with less chance for the thieves to deactivate the feature.
Sensationalism with an Apple connection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acslater017
Of course, no gadget is worth a person's life.
I disagree. A person should be able to shoot and kill a robber in order to protect their property and also their own lives. The life of a victim is worth more than the life of a thug.
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Sensationalism with an Apple connection.
I'd say it's a 'raise your eyebrows over the newspaper for a moment before returning to your business' story, nothing particularly astonishing.
????
They've reported stories like this before without this ruckus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Agreed. AI will be on sale at the check out next!
along with martians, flying saucers and big foot. can't wait!
Perhaps it would be a good idea to try to increase opportunity and social mobility, so we don't have to incarcerate or kill so many thugs. Same thing with terrorism. The first defence should be to stop creating so many enemies.
Quote:
Police tracked a stolen iPhone in San Francisco to what appeared to be a smartphone theft ring, firing a shot at suspects and briefly locking down a elementary school along the way.
What does, 'locking down a elementary school' mean?
Do you mean, 'locking down AN elementary school'?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NormM
Perhaps it would be a good idea to try to increase opportunity and social mobility, so we don't have to incarcerate or kill so many thugs. Same thing with terrorism. The first defence should be to stop creating so many enemies.
I have to disagree with your hypothesis about why certain bad people are bad, especially concerning terrorists.
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Agreed. AI will be on sale at the check out next!
Sounds good to me! I'd rather read about Apple news when standing in line, waiting to pay for my groceries, instead of seeing the usual crap that they have there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CGJ
What does, 'locking down a elementary school' mean?
Do you mean, 'locking down AN elementary school'?
Alright, you obviously know what it means. DED is not that bad.
But it really has absolutely nothing to do with Apple or Apple products. It could just as easily have been gold coins, a diamond ring or a stack of bearer bonds (except, of course, those are harder to track). The type of stolen merchandise really isn't important.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
The type of stolen merchandise really isn't important.
I think that it is very relevant, as Apple device theft is out of control! Does anybody even bother to steal Android phones? Even lowlife thieves don't want that crap!
40% of our thefts are Apple products
NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly in Aspen, Colorado
These are the points in this article that are Apple related and not sensational, and valid to debate/discuss!
1. "Apple and its carrier partners have done little to make it difficult to use stolen phones, resulting in large market for stolen devices"
Apple and it's partners could do some significant things in this area such as create a database of stolen cellphones. This might be ongoing, I don't recall....
2. "The company's free iCloud tracking system had helped many users to recover their devices, although it is not difficult for thieves to deactivate the tracking feature, something several bloggers have recommended the company address by at least requiring a password to shut down a stolen phone.
Easy and worthwhile in my opinion to have a password to shutdown your device - comments?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NormM
Same thing with terrorism.
Pure nonsense. Stop spreading junk.
I dare you to how me one (even semi-credible) study (even remotely) linking social/economic mobility to terrorism.
(Even if there was, they should be treated for what/who they are as judged by their actions.)