A man used technology to track the person he says stole his iPhone, and things quickly turned violent when he tried to get it back. INSIDE EDITION has the report.
A man suspected of stealing an iPhone got a taste of vigilante justice.
The iPhone's owner has just tracked the alleged bad guy down and he's decided to take the law into his own hands.
Kenny Schmidgall had his phone stolen during a night out in San Diego. Fortunately he had an app, “Find my iPhone,” which tracks iPhones using GPS technology.
Schmidgall said, “I didn't want to fight. I just wanted my property back. None of this would have happened if he had just given me my phone back. The technology is crazy! I was able to pinpoint my phone within five feet.
Schmidgall and his friend Greg drove around for four hours following the alleged phone thief wherever he went. They recorded it all on camera.
They then confront the guy who has Kenny’s phone, but he has no intention of giving the phone back. The suspected thief shook off his pursuers, but there was no escape.
The chase ended in a bloody brawl.
He says the alleged thief attacked him first. It turns out he was already wanted by police and was desperate to escape. But these guys were determined to see justice done.
Schmidgall said, “Our goal was not to beat him up or attack him. We just wanted to hold him until police arrived.”
An off-duty officer stepped in to help and held the suspect until the police arrived. Kenny got his iPhone back, but not without a fight.
Schmidgall said, “I ended up with some cuts and bruises. Cuts and bruises were worth it.”
