A Texas man allegedly shot and killed a suspected thief after he used an Apple AirTag to track his stolen truck about 20 miles away.
San Antonio police said the truck owner called 911 after discovering his Chevrolet Silverado was missing from his North Side residence, but he took matters into his own hands.
The owner, whose name has not been released, along with two family members, tracked down the truck using the tool Police said it was a shopping mall parking lot where they approached a man inside the truck which led to a confrontation.
Andrew John Herrera, 44, died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner, KSAT mentioned. His death was ruled as murder. Officials determine whether the suspect who fired the gun will be charged.
The incident comes as Apple has faced criticism over the use of the AirTag, which is often used to track things like luggage and wallets, but has also been used for mischief, such as stalking former partners and public figures.
Andrew John Herrera, 44, died of a gunshot wound to the head, after the owner tracked the truck he allegedly stole about 20 miles on Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas.
The owner, along with two of his family members, tracked the truck using the tool to the parking lot of a shopping mall where they approached a man inside the truck.
The incident comes as Apple has faced criticism and lawsuits over the use of AirTag, often used to track things like luggage and wallets, to be used instead for mischief, such as stalking.
Officer Nick Soules told reporters at a news conference that the man who confronted Herrera inside the van claimed to have seen a weapon before firing his gun into the van.
Soliz encouraged people to wait for the police, not to take it into their own hands.
“If you’re going to steal your car, please don’t take matters into your own hands like that,” Soliz said. It is never safe as you can see by this incident.
When police arrived at the scene on the 3200 block of Southeast Military Road, they found bullet casings and two cars with their windows shot out.
Investigators have not confirmed whether a weapon was found on Herrera. It is legal to carry a gun in Texas, and it is legal for Texans to use deadly force to defend themselves from apparent, imminent danger.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found bullet casings and two cars with their windows shot out. Officials determine whether the suspect will be charged.
Police said two vehicles, including the stolen truck, had windows shot out
The tracking led the truck’s owner to a shopping mall on the 3200 block of Southeast Military Drive, about 20 miles from his residence.
AirTag was launched in April 2021 as a new way to help users track personal items such as keys, wallets and bags by attaching an AirTag to them and locating them if lost through the Find My app.
AirTags and other mobile-linked tracking devices such as Tile Trackers sell for between $30 and $50.
The tags work by pinging nearby iPhones and sending a signal to the owner’s phone to show where they are.
Tracking devices have been used to help people find countless missing items, including a woman from the UK who recently used one to track down her stolen car.
Zoë Pettit and her friends have tracked down her Ford Fiesta after it was stolen in February.
Like Reed, they find the car using the AirTag app and call the police to help them get it back from the thief.
AirTag was launched in April 2021 as a new way to help users track personal items such as keys, wallets and bags by attaching an AirTag to them and locating them if lost through the Find My app
And in January, a California woman was able to find her beloved dog that had been washed away in the flood thanks to an AirTag that she attached to his collar.
But small metal discs used by stalkers who secretly place them on people they want to follow have also been discovered.
Last year, a young mother in Texas said she found an AirTag taped to the inside of her duffel bag while traveling from Texas to Maine.
I think they were definitely going to hurt me. I don’t think you do that for no reason,” she told Inside Edition. “It took about 14 hours for them to tell me this was happening,” she said.
