A Texas man used an Apple AirTag to track down his stolen truck and shoot and kill the suspected thief, police say
Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images
- A Texas man used an Apple AirTag in his truck to track down the car after it was stolen.
- The man who stole the truck was shot and killed by one of the men looking for the truck, police say.
- It's the latest high-profile case of the tracking technology, which has been criticized for enabling stalking.
A Texas man shot and killed a suspected thief on Wednesday after he used an Apple AirTag to track down his stolen truck, according to local police.
The San Antonio Police Department said it received a call reporting a stolen vehicle Wednesday around 1 p.m., before one of the men looking for the truck located the suspected thief and confronted him before authorities arrived, ultimately shooting and killing him, KSAT reported.
Police believe the man whose truck was stolen, along with two family members, tracked the AirTag to the parking lot of a shopping center where they found a man still inside the truck when they arrived.
SAPD Information Officer Nick Soliz told reporters Wednesday police are investigating the incident, noting it seems the men did not wait for police to arrive before intervening. He said the one who confronted the man inside the truck claims he saw a weapon before shooting his own gun into the car.
The alleged truck thief, who police described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, was later pronounced dead. The identities of the shooter and the man who was killed have not been released.
Police are still investigating whether the man in the truck actually had a weapon, which could influence whether the man who shot and killed him faces charges.
Soliz encouraged people to wait for police in situations like this, noting Wednesday's incident shows it can be dangerous to intervene before police arrive.
"If you are to get your vehicle stolen, I know that it's frustrating but please do not take matters into your own hands like this," Soliz said.
The incident is the latest high-profile use of an AirTag, the Apple gadget most often used to track things like luggage and wallets. Apple has faced criticism and lawsuits over the use of the trackers for harmful purposes, including stalking former partners and public figures.