Selfies taken on stolen iPhone may help catch a thief
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Police are asking for the public's help in identifying an iPhone thief in West Hollywood, reports CBS Los Angeles. The suspect allegedly stole the phone from an appliance store employee and then took multiple selfies with it. The pictures then automatically uploaded to the owner of the device's iCloud - which he saw on his iPad, reports the station.
The suspect entered the store last Saturday around 2:30 p.m, spotted an iPhone 6 on a lower counter, casually picked it up and left, the station reported. Surveillance video recorded the theft.
According to the station, the victim, "Alex," who preferred not to use his last name, told the station that the suspect stole his iPhone and its case - which contained his wallet, credit cards, and cash - while he and two co-workers were in the back of the store.
"I come back to my desk and noticed my phone is missing, so I tell my colleagues, 'What happened to my phone? I could've sworn I left it on my desk'," he told CBS Los Angeles.
After looking for the phone with no luck, Alex checked the security footage. He only was able to see a pixilated image of a man grabbing the phone off his desk.
Later, when Alex was on his iPad - he was surprised to find three selfies had been uploaded to his iCloud account, where the suspect's face is clearly visible. He believes the selfies are of the man who stole his phone.
Alex says the iCloud account has since been disconnected - but he's still hopeful someone will catch the thief with the help of the selfies.