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Police in San Antonio reported a fatal shooting on March 29 after a man allegedly used an Apple AirTag to track a suspect who had stolen his truck, then killed him in a firefight.
According to authorities, the truck’s owner located his stolen vehicle with an Apple AirTag tracking device, which led him to a shopping center on the city’s southeast side — roughly 20 miles from his home, where the truck was stolen. Upon finding his truck, the vehicle’s owner fired several shots, fatally wounding the thief, identified as 44-year-old Andrew John Herrera.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner said Herrera died of a gunshot wound to the head.
After police arrived on the scene, investigators located several bullet casings and two cars with their windows shot out. Officials are currently investigating the incident and determining if charges will be brought against the shooter.
The SAPD said Herrera may have pulled a gun after being confronted by the truck’s owners while still inside the vehicle, which led to the fatal shootout.
Officer Nick Soliz, a spokesperson for the San Antonio Police Department, advised the public against pursuing criminals in similar situations.
“If you are to get your vehicle stolen, please do not take matters into your own hands like this,” he said. “It’s never safe as you can see by this incident.”
“I urge the public to wait for police in this matter,” Soliz added. “Let us go with you. We have training.”
An Apple spokesperson also released a statement on behalf of the tech company emphasizing that AirTags are intended to help people locate personal belongings and not track people or their property maliciously: “It’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking. We hope this starts an industry trend for others to also provide these sorts of proactive warnings in their products.”
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” the spokesperson added.
Police departments across the country have previously warned about the use of Apple AirTags for unwanted tracking by criminals for purposes of stalking or carjacking. This incident demonstrates that the tracking devices can pose dangers both ways — not just to the victims, but also to thieves.
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