A Texas man allegedly shot and killed a suspected thief after he used an Apple AirTag device to track his stolen truck nearly 20 miles away.
San Antonio Police said the truck owner called 911 after discovering that his Chevy Silverado was missing from his northside residence, but took matters into his own hands.
The owner, whose name was not released, along with two family members, tracked the truck using the gadget to the parking lot of a shopping center where they approached a man inside the truck which allegedly led to a confrontation, the police said.
Andrew John Herrera, 44, died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner, KSAT reported. His death is being ruled as a homicide. Officials are determining if the suspect who fired the gun will be charged.
The incident comes as Apple has faced criticism over the use of AirTag, most often used to track things like luggage and wallets, but have also been used for harm, like stalking former partners and public figures.
Andrew John Herrera, 44, died from a gunshot wound to the head, after the truck he allegedly stole was tracked by the owner nearly 20 miles away on Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas
The owner, along with two family members, tracked the truck using the gadget to the parking lot of a shopping center where they approached a man inside the truck
The incident comes as Apple has faced criticism and lawsuits over the use of AirTag, most often used to track things like luggage and wallets, to instead use for harm, like stalking
Officer Nick Soliz told reporters at a press conference the man confronted Herrera inside the truck claims he saw a weapon before shooting his own gun into the truck.
Soliz encouraged people to wait for police, and not to take it into your own hands.
‘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.
When police arrived on the scene at the 3200 block of Southeast Military Drive, they found bullet casings and two cars with their windows shot out.
Investigators have not confirmed whether they found a weapon in Herrera’s possession. It is legal to carry a gun in the state of Texas and it is legal for Texans to use deadly force to defend themselves from apparent and imminent danger.
When police arrived on the scene, they found bullet casings and two cars with their windows shot out. Officials are determining if the suspect will be charged.
Two vehicles, including the stolen truck, had their windows shot out, police said
The tracking led the truck owner to a shopping center at the 3200 block of Southeast Military Drive, nearly 20 miles from his residence
AirTags were launched in April 2021 as a new means of helping users keep track of 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 cellphone linked tracking devices like Tile Trackers sell for between $30 and $50.
The tags work by pinging off iPhones near them and sending a signal to the owner’s phone to show where they are.
The tracking devices have been used to help people find countless missing items, including one woman from the UK who recently used one to track down her stolen car.
Zoë Pettit and her friends managed to track down her Ford Fiesta after it was stolen in February.
Like Reid, they found the car using the AirTag app and called police to help them recover it from the thief.
AirTags were launched in April 2021 as a new means of helping users keep track of 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 which had been swept away in a flood thanks to the AirTag she’d attached to his collar.
But the small metal disks have also been discovered being used by stalkers who discretely place them on people they want to follow.
Last year a young mother in Texas said she found an AirTag taped inside her duffel bag as she traveled from Texas to Maine.
‘I think they would definitely have hurt me. I don’t think you do that for no reason,’ she told Inside Edition. ‘It took almost 14 hours to let me know this was happening,’ she said.