Stopping Smartphone Thefts

Just minutes after he bought the new iPhone 6, thieves attacked a man in Towson.
Jessica Kartalija reports the theft of smartphones is growing worse, while new technology is aimed at stopping violent thefts.
He camped out all night to get his hands on the new phone.
“I thought I have to get it; I have to have the 6 Plus,” said Braden Myers. “I wanted to get 6 Plus, too.”

But Myers never imagined that within minutes of buying one at Towson Town Center…

“A fist straight across my face in the jaw, knocking me down into the ground. Him grabbing my phone and trying to grab it out of my hand. I held onto it with all my might,”

Myers said.

It happened right outside the Stony River Restaurant.
“I swung back, hit him, which ended up pushing into the street, then the other guy hit me from the back of the head,” Myers said.
“They tried to take the victim’s cell phone. They did not succeed in taking it,” said Elise Armacost.
It happened in broad daylight. When people ran to help, the thieves took off.

Myers was lucky. Last year, more than 1.5 million Americans had their smartphones stolen—and many of the thefts were violent. In an effort to crack down on the number of thefts, the new iPhone 6 comes with kill switch technology. Now with an activation lock, if a thief tries to turn off “Find My iPhone” or even if they wipe the device entirely, they will not be able to reactivate it.

“You don’t really see that coming but immediately it hit me and I was like, `Wow, this is actually happening,’” Myers said.
The thieves weren’t able to take his phone and, aside from a few bruises, Myers is fine.

“Little sore but I’ll be fine by tomorrow,”

he said.
Police say it’s always a good idea to stay alert and, if possible, walk around with your cell phone in a purse or in your pocket.