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How Not to Steal a Sidekick
timmit was one of many readers to point out the story of a stolen Sidekick, writing with this excerpt from the site: ""When my friend realized that she had left the Sidekick in the taxi she asked me to immediately send a message to the phone saying that we would give a reward for the phone. There was no response. After a day of waiting, she had to go to the store and spend over $300 on a new Sidekick. When she put her SIM card in, she saw that the person(s) that had taken the phone had not only signed on to AOL leaving their name and password in the phone, but they had taken pictures of themselves." I can sympathize, after someone with the address Rmluckyguy@aol.com tried to sell me back the Visor Deluxe stolen from my car last year in Philadelphia. I hope Evan has better luck.
I love how this goes to show how easy it is for anyone to find out information about you, and the people you know with social networking sites. You had better think twice about creating a myspace page if ever engage in any kind of criminal activity no matter seemingly small or insigificant it is. Granted the people who were involved here were exceedingly stupid. Cue up the "stupidity of people on myspace" jokes....
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" -Hunter S. Thompson
Exactly. And the thieves are dead wrong thinking NYPD has bigger fish to fry. NYPD dispatched a detective to come and arrest an employee at my mom's shop in Manhattan who skimmed $38 from the till. We had the whole thing on the surveillance DVR. Basically, if you collect good evidence and hand them a case that they can chalk up a win on, they will do it. I think our boy has done exactly that. They will be in custody soon. The funny thing is how they multiplied this from a simple misunderstanding where they could have said "sorry, here's your Sidekick back", to now having multiple charges to answer to. I wouldn't put it past an NYC ADA to subpoena a paternity test to see if the guy should be charged with statutory rape.
cat
Some thieves stole a camera, among other things, and spent the rest of the night taking pictures of themselves
committing other crimes.
One of them was caught a few days later, with my camera. The police returned my camera, and when I checked the memory card, I found that it contained a number of pictures of the two guys who had taken pictures of each other, breaking into cars and houses, all very clear and recognizable. It was obvious that the police had not inspected the camera memory.
The guy that was caught, had tried to claim that the camera was his, and when they pressed him with the evidence they had, he eventually admitted to one car break-in, and insisted he was alone. The date-stamped images on my camera told a different story. It was actually very satisfying to show this stuff to the detective. But, he made it clear to me that thieves doing stupid things is not at all unusual.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
The subject is now in jail with 2 felony charges and some misdemeanor charges.
Here's how it went down. A week ago I was at a gas station talking with my fiancee in the car while the tank was filling up. My phone was on the sidepocket of the door (the armrest thing on the door) and the door was open. I know, stupid move. But I had been really paranoid about losing it cause I had just bought it so I was checking on it every 30 seconds ago so I figured it was safe enough. The tank finally finished filling so I exited the car and that's when I noticed that my phone was missing.
I did that whole thing where you check the ground and your pockets and begin to freak out. Then I remembered some dude had walked right by our car maybe 30 seconds before I saw it missing. I looked on the other side of our pump and there was this 40+ something Hispanic gangsta dude with tattoos all on his neck asking some people for money for his "Car that broke down."
In his breast pocket I could see what appeared to be the outline of my phone. He saw me looking at him and approached me and gave me some cockeyed story about how he ran out of gas and if I could only spare a dollar or so it would really help him. I told him I was busy at the moment if he would wait for me "over there" (out of earshot) I would be with him and maybe I could help him.
I looked at my fiancée and said, "Call my cellphone."
She asks what's going on.
I tell her just to do it.
So she calls my phone.
As I approach the guy I hear, clear as day, the techno ringtone coming from his breast pocket.
Damn I love how loud that thing is.
I get in his face and tell him to give me my phone back.
He looks confused.
I point at his pocket and say, "You stole my phone, give it now."
He pulls it out of his pocket, gives it to me, and says, "Oh no man, I found this over there." (points to the opposite side of the gas station).
"No you f*cking didn't. You stole that phone from me asshole. Don't play stupid fess up."
"No man, I don't know what you are talking about. Look, can you spare me some money or what?" [he's trying to avoid the discussion]
"You just f*cking stole my cell phone. You know how much that thing cost me? What, you think I'm rich or something?"
At this point everyone in the gas station is looking at us cause I'm berating this punk and getting ready for a showdown.
"Dude, if you don't want to help me that's fine."
He starts walking across the street to another gas station to evade me.
I look at my fiancée and say, "Call 911."
I chase after the guy and call 911 myself and explain to the dispatcher what is happening. I'm no more than 5 feet behind this guy at all times while he's trying to evade me and people are wondering what's going on. At one point he comes at me in a threatening manner saying, "Man- Who you on the phone with!?" I tell him I'm calling the police.
The dude runs back across the street and I run back after him weaving through traffic. He gets in a nice newer Nissan Maxima and I jump in front of the car and read off the plates to the dispatcher. The asshole tries to run me over with his f*cking car, peels out, and speeds away.
By this time everyone in the gas station is in total awe looking at what unfolded before them.
It takes forever to get the Sheriffs there but I'm pleased with the way they respond and handle the situation. They take a report from myself and witnesses. They later call me and tell me the license plate was registered to this guy's daughter. They went to her address and she told him to check at the ex-wife's. When they get there they find the dude. They discover heroin paraphernalia in his vehicle.
They book him with Theft, drug, and assault with a deadly weapon (his car).
What a day.
The dude picked the wrong guy to f*ck with. In two weeks I'll be in police academy.
Watch out for your stuff people. People are not always as they seem.