Thanks to technology, it took Milwaukee police three hours to arrest a robbery suspect who had swiped a smartphone from a teenage bicyclist at knife-point on the Hank Aaron State Trail.
A 13-year-old West Allis boy was riding his bicycle with a friend about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a 17-year-old, later identified as Kenyacies Phipps, grabbed the boy's handlebars and demanded his bike, Lt. Mark Stanmeyer said Friday.
Phipps pulled out a knife and pushed the boy off his bicycle, saying, "It's mine now," according to a criminal complaint filed Friday. He then rifled through the boy's pockets, taking an iPhone.
Milwaukee police officer Stephen Dombrowski and Sgt. Christopher Elser collaborated with other investigators to use the boy's "Find My iPhone" app and tracked the phone to an address in the 2600 block of N. 41st St. -- where officers found the stolen bicycle, iPhone and the suspect, Stanmeyer said.
Phipps told police he borrowed the phone to call a friend who didn't answer and then did not return the phone, the complaint states.
Police have said smartphones are driving an increase in robberies in Milwaukee -- they have been targeted in about 30% of the robberies -- and around the country.
In the first six months of this year, robberies jumped 20% compared with the same time in 2012. Robberies also are up about 10% from the six-year average, officials have said.
The department is recommending that smartphone users protect their devices with passwords, install tracking apps and enable remote data wiping.
Copyright 2013 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
