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iPhone came in handy during robbery...

SFStateStudent

SFStateStudent

macrumors 604
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
7,496
3
San Francisco California, USA
while dining at McDonald's in the San Francisco, CA Bay Area tonight. Two thugs came in with guns as we were ordering, so as they were busy with their take-over robbery, I took my iPhone out and took about (6) pictures and called 911 and spoke to the police dispatcher via my iPhone BT as I moved towards the side of the restaurant, so the thugs couldn't see me talking on my iPhone. Well, long story short the police arrived about 3 minutes too late. I was able to run out the side door and watch the thugs run across the street and get into a burgundy colored SUV and head to the freeway onramp heading eastbound at a high rate of speed. The police asked me to email the photos to their detectives robbery/homicide unit email address, which I did in a matter of seconds. Then I had to turn my iPhone over to them, but will be able to pick it up tomorrow morning, or maybe tonight after their photo technician can photoshop and enhance the photos. Gawd, never leave home without your iPhone! I don't recommend doing what I did, to anyone! I just realized the opportunity to help out, b/c I was not in harm's way, nor were the other (5) customers and employees as we gathered on the side of the restaurant. Waiting for my iPhone to come home! :eek:
 
these two thugs didnt happen to hear your camera make the snapping noise as it took the picture? truely idiotic thugs....
 
nice story^^

hopefully, you keep the rights for the pictures for selling them to a newspaper or do you probably get a bounty? :D

or you get a free 3G iPhone from Steve for the good advertisement ;)
 
I dunno how it works in the US, but here in Sweden you can get a reward if you send in photos of different happenings, like robberies or car accidents and that sort of stuff to newspapers. The reward can vary with anything from $250 to $1000, sometimes even more. :cool:
 
frosse said:
I dunno how it works in the US, but here in Sweden you can get a reward if you send in photos of different happenings, like robberies or car accidents and that sort of stuff to newspapers. The reward can vary with anything from $250 to $1000, sometimes even more. :cool:
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Do you need guns now to get served in 60 seconds.

Great story and well done. Lucky they did not shoot you as it could have been 'iPhone saves my life my stopping bullet!'
 
Well, I'm still without my iPhone for the first time since we hooked-up! Apparently there was a shooting death at the local bowling alley which happened to be the next freeway off-ramp. The description of the gunman, matches one of the gunmen involved in the robbery of McDonald's we were at. The first murder in our area this year. I miss my iPhone! No chance of getting any $$$$ out of all this since the gunmen are still at large. I can see myself giving an interview and then a drive-by takes place with me being the next news story! No, I'll wait 'til they catch these two idiots first. :eek:
 
wow. that was very brave of you to capture as much as possible to help the police track them down! :)

i'm really curious about one thing, i must admit - did the police give you any choice to simply send the pictures to them instead of taking your iphone? did you offer to email them on the spot, but they declined? i know that the pursuit of justice is extremely important and the police need all the information they can get as quickly as possible, but i wonder what i'd do in the same situation since i'm hesitant about handing over my personal property without a warrant when i could get them the photos without doing so...
 
r6girl said:
wow. that was very brave of you to capture as much as possible to help the police track them down! :)

i'm really curious about one thing, i must admit - did the police give you any choice to simply send the pictures to them instead of taking your iphone? did you offer to email them on the spot, but they declined? i know that the pursuit of justice is extremely important and the police need all the information they can get as quickly as possible, but i wonder what i'd do in the same situation since i'm hesitant about handing over my personal property without a warrant when i could get them the photos without doing so...
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I pretty much volunteered my pics via email, but I think they wanted to be able to have their crime scene technician work his/her photoshop skills to enhance the photos from their original state. I didn't put up an argument and it's not like I had any obscene or pornographic material on my iPhone. Having worked in the law enforcement field for over 25-years, I wanted to help out the investigation immediately v. hampering the investigation via a judge's warrant. The lead detective game me a call about an hour ago, and stated that my iPhone has been a great help, and was wondering if I could show her how to put "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" on her son's iPhone. Too funny! My iPhone is available for pick-up, but the detective said they'll have a uniform drop it off at my home! Home at last, Home at last! :p
 
SFStateStudent said:
I pretty much volunteered my pics via email, but I think they wanted to be able to have their crime scene technician work his/her photoshop skills to enhance the photos from their original state. I didn't put up an argument and it's not like I had any obscene or pornographic material on my iPhone. Having worked in the law enforcement field for over 25-years, I wanted to help out the investigation immediately v. hampering the investigation via a judge's warrant. The lead detective game me a call about an hour ago, and stated that my iPhone has been a great help, and was wondering if I could show her how to put "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" on her son's iPhone. Too funny! My iPhone is available for pick-up, but the detective said they'll have a uniform drop it off at my home! Home at last, Home at last! :p
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What a lovely story :) I bet your iPhone has had a more exciting life than most others. I kinda feel sorry for mine now :( Well done though!!! Great to hear of citizens helping to fight crime, especially when an iPhone is involved :D
 
lol sure call the news stations and get your name and face out there, collect your $250 reward and have the gunman come after you for turning in his pictures lol.
 
SFStateStudent said:
I pretty much volunteered my pics via email, but I think they wanted to be able to have their crime scene technician work his/her photoshop skills to enhance the photos from their original state. I didn't put up an argument and it's not like I had any obscene or pornographic material on my iPhone. Having worked in the law enforcement field for over 25-years, I wanted to help out the investigation immediately v. hampering the investigation via a judge's warrant. The lead detective game me a call about an hour ago, and stated that my iPhone has been a great help, and was wondering if I could show her how to put "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" on her son's iPhone. Too funny! My iPhone is available for pick-up, but the detective said they'll have a uniform drop it off at my home! Home at last, Home at last! :p
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just from your user name, i always assumed you were in your early 20's in college in SF. :D

you are quite kind - i really don't think i'd be able to part with my iphone like that but would be happy to email the pictures right in front of them to demonstrate how much i wanted to cooperate. and then i would send them the full-size pics once i got home. :eek:

glad to hear your iphone will be on its way back to you soon! hope they catch those robbers, too...
 
SFStateStudent said:
Well, I'm still without my iPhone for the first time since we hooked-up! Apparently there was a shooting death at the local bowling alley which happened to be the next freeway off-ramp. The description of the gunman, matches one of the gunmen involved in the robbery of McDonald's we were at. The first murder in our area this year. I miss my iPhone! No chance of getting any $$$$ out of all this since the gunmen are still at large. I can see myself giving an interview and then a drive-by takes place with me being the next news story! No, I'll wait 'til they catch these two idiots first. :eek:
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I heard about this this AM. Sucks.
 
Wow, that's crazy man!! Congrats on the assist. You definitely have more chutzpah than I do. I'm as daring as the next guy, but I'm not getting myself shot over the proceeds at a McDonald's. Were you flying solo, or was the family with you? My wife would still be berrating me for putting all of us in danger. :D
 
Wow surely this made the paper...do you have a link to the article? I'd be interested in reading it. Good work by the way.
 
BOSS10L said:
Wow, that's crazy man!! Congrats on the assist. You definitely have more chutzpah than I do. I'm as daring as the next guy, but I'm not getting myself shot over the proceeds at a McDonald's. Were you flying solo, or was the family with you? My wife would still be berrating me for putting all of us in danger. :D
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My significant other was at my side, but a managed to have her sit with the planter/partition between her and the gunmen. And persuaded the gunmen to allow our group to move out of their way. So, about (7) of us total, managed to move to the family and children's seating area without further incident.
 
jessica. said:
Wow surely this made the paper...do you have a link to the article? I'd be interested in reading it. Good work by the way.
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I'm kinda' relieved that it didn't make the paper or the news, b/c I'm camera shy and I think the local PD had their hands full with this:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/04/BARG1135BD.DTL&tsp=1

Which occurred just one freeway off-ramp from our location, and just a few hours after our robbery. Saw the same police officers at the bowling alley.
 
SFStateStudent said:
The lead detective game me a call about an hour ago, and stated that my iPhone has been a great help, and was wondering if I could show her how to put "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" on her son's iPhone.
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So a police detective is asking you how to break a DVD's copy protection in order to make copies of a copyrighted movie. Wonderful!
 
SFStateStudent said:
Well, I'm still without my iPhone for the first time since we hooked-up! Apparently there was a shooting death at the local bowling alley which happened to be the next freeway off-ramp. The description of the gunman, matches one of the gunmen involved in the robbery of McDonald's we were at. The first murder in our area this year. I miss my iPhone! No chance of getting any $$$$ out of all this since the gunmen are still at large. I can see myself giving an interview and then a drive-by takes place with me being the next news story! No, I'll wait 'til they catch these two idiots first. :eek:
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Great story, but next time I would suggest sending the photos to the news instead.

They will give you compensation and won't take your iPhone away, they will also tell the cops and give the pictures to them and you won't be out your iPhone. Especially since it's just a robbery, the cops won't be able to do anything on the spot anyway (it's not like TV), so there is no loss if they don't get the pics for a couple of days.

The pics are useful for the conviction part, but not the "catching the robbers" part basically.

.
 
SFStateStudent said:
I believe she wants to rip her DVD copy and put it on the iPhone.
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Same difference. Sure, she wants to practice fair use, but the act of defeating the DVD's security to make that copy is against the law. As a law enforcer, you'd just think she would have more common sense about saying such things to the public.
 
SFStateStudent said:
My significant other was at my side, but a managed to have her sit with the planter/partition between her and the gunmen. And persuaded the gunmen to allow our group to move out of their way. So, about (7) of us total, managed to move to the family and children's seating area without further incident.
Click to expand...

Wow. Well, you know what this means, don't you? Micky D's can DEFINITELY be hazardous to your health! :eek:;)
 
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