A Texas man used an Apple AirTag to successfully track down the person who allegedly stole his truck, and then killed him, police say.
The San Antonio Police Department said they are investigating the shooting incident, which happened on Wednesday at a shopping center on San Antonio’s southeast side, according to a report by KHOU.
Law enforcement said they received a report about a stolen vehicle at around 1:00 p.m. from a home in San Antonio, and that the owner of the truck used an Apple AirTag to track the vehicle down.
But instead of calling the police, the owner of the vehicle decided to take matters into his own hands, police added.
The truck was reportedly tracked down about 20 miles from where it was stolen. The alleged thief was not aware that the vehicle was being tracked, police said.
Several bullet casings were found at the scene of the incident, and two vehicles in the parking lot had their windows shot out. Police are now working to determine whether the shooter will be charged. They are also investigating whether the alleged thief was armed.
The San Antonio Police Department’s Nick Soliz said that victims of crimes like these should not try to pursue suspects on their own.
“If you are to get your vehicle stolen, please do not take matters into your own hands like this,” Soliz said. “It’s never safe as you can see by this incident.
An Apple spokesperson told Fox News that the company “condemns” the use of AirTags to track down and kill car thieves.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.”
“Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag,” the spokesperson added.
Apple Airtags have been used by crooks engaged in stalking and car theft in recent years. Breitbart News previously reported on the trend:
In a blog post, investigators with the York Regional Police Auto and Cargo Theft Unit warned residents that they have “identified a new method being used by thieves to track and steal high-end vehicles” in the area.
Suspects have reportedly been placing the AirTags in “out of sight” areas of cars such as the inside of gas caps or various other crevices. After following their targets home, the criminals are reportedly able to hack the ignition of the vehicles with an electronic device “typically used by mechanics to reprogram the factory setting” before stealing the car from the driveway of its owner.
NBC News now reports that criminals are continuing to use the devices, telling the story of one woman who was alerted via her iPhone that an AirTag was “Found Moving With You.” The woman, worried to go home for fear of someone tracking her, stayed somewhere else for the night before having someone search her car. An Apple AirTag was found attached inside a wheel well.
Breitbart News will continue to report on Apple’s tracking technology.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.