Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Facebook Pierce County Sheriff's Department
AirTags have become must-have devices for car owners, as they help track the location in real-time. A Washington woman found this out the hard way after her car was stolen at gunpoint, and its location was tracked using Apple's device.
It all happened last week inside Orangegate Park when the woman was just next to the car. The suspect approached her and drove away with the vehicle without knowing the owner previously installed an AirTag in the cabin.
The woman dialed 911 and provided the dispatchers with real-time information on the car's location. It didn't take long for police officers to locate the vehicle, so they rushed to a shopping complex in Federal Way to find the suspect. The police installed stop sticks and tried to approach the vehicle, but the suspect fled.
Deputies started a pursuit that continued onto southbound I-5, with the suspect's car eventually crashing on the shoulder after a successful PIT maneuver. As it typically happens after a high-speed pursuit, the suspect tried to escape on foot but was rapidly apprehended.
What followed next, however, continued the Hollywood-style scenario. Due to the pursuit, the suspect's car (the stolen one) lost a tire before crashing on the shoulder of the interstate. Because of the overheating, the vehicle caught on fire. Because the officers were busy catching the suspect, they didn’t notice that the fire ignited the nearby dry grass, eventually expanding to two patrol cars parked right behind the stolen vehicle.
Both of them caught on fire as well, but the deputies managed to save one vehicle. The other was completely wrecked (and so was the stolen vehicle), with deputies having no other option than to wait for the firefighters.
Deputies also found a woman in the back of the stolen vehicle, but they were able to get her out before the fire engulfed the car. The 27-year-old suspect was charged with robbery in the first degree, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and identity theft. His bail was set to $250,000.
And this is precisely why you need an AirTag in your car. This device is so small that it can be hidden virtually anywhere without the thief being able to locate him when the police are on their tail. Because it connects to the Find My network, AirTags broadcast their locations in real time using nearby iPhones. It doesn’t need its own Internet connection, so no matter where it is, it'll still share its location as long as it finds an iPhone. AirTags typically send notifications when they're moving with an iPhone in an attempt to prevent stalking, but needless to say, a thief running away from the police doesn't have the time to care about such things.
The woman dialed 911 and provided the dispatchers with real-time information on the car's location. It didn't take long for police officers to locate the vehicle, so they rushed to a shopping complex in Federal Way to find the suspect. The police installed stop sticks and tried to approach the vehicle, but the suspect fled.
Deputies started a pursuit that continued onto southbound I-5, with the suspect's car eventually crashing on the shoulder after a successful PIT maneuver. As it typically happens after a high-speed pursuit, the suspect tried to escape on foot but was rapidly apprehended.
What followed next, however, continued the Hollywood-style scenario. Due to the pursuit, the suspect's car (the stolen one) lost a tire before crashing on the shoulder of the interstate. Because of the overheating, the vehicle caught on fire. Because the officers were busy catching the suspect, they didn’t notice that the fire ignited the nearby dry grass, eventually expanding to two patrol cars parked right behind the stolen vehicle.
Both of them caught on fire as well, but the deputies managed to save one vehicle. The other was completely wrecked (and so was the stolen vehicle), with deputies having no other option than to wait for the firefighters.
Deputies also found a woman in the back of the stolen vehicle, but they were able to get her out before the fire engulfed the car. The 27-year-old suspect was charged with robbery in the first degree, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and identity theft. His bail was set to $250,000.
And this is precisely why you need an AirTag in your car. This device is so small that it can be hidden virtually anywhere without the thief being able to locate him when the police are on their tail. Because it connects to the Find My network, AirTags broadcast their locations in real time using nearby iPhones. It doesn’t need its own Internet connection, so no matter where it is, it'll still share its location as long as it finds an iPhone. AirTags typically send notifications when they're moving with an iPhone in an attempt to prevent stalking, but needless to say, a thief running away from the police doesn't have the time to care about such things.
Google News