Man robs Ann Arbor woman of her cell phone
A 19-year-old Ann Arbor woman took out her phone to enter the number of a man she was talking to early Saturday morning when he took the phone and escaped into a waiting car.
The robbery was reported at about 2:35 a.m. Saturday and occurred in the 500 block of East William Street, according to Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush. The man had approached the woman and told her she looked like someone he knew, but Bush said the woman ignored him and kept walking.
The man told the woman she should call him sometime and she took out her phone to enter his number, Bush said. It was at that moment the man grabbed the phone from her and ran to a black Dodge Charger, which then drove away, she said.
The woman was not injured, Bush said. The phone was valued at about $200.
The man is described as black, in his early 20s, about 5-feet-5 inches tall, wearing a baseball hat, a navy hooded sweatshirt, jeans and gym shoes, Bush said.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Jaime Magiera
Wed, Apr 11, 2012 : 1:28 a.m.
Despite their ubiquity, phones are still worth quite a bit -- particularly those of the "smart" variety. There are various tracking services provided by the carriers and manufacturers (e.g. Apple's "Where is my iPhone"). This week, the FCC announced a partnership with manufacturers for a nation-wide database (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303815404577334152199453024.html)Judging by the press release from UM DPS today, and the various stories here on annarbor.com, there's been a huge upsurge in device theft the past few months.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 6:18 p.m.
"wearing a........a navy hooded sweatshirt" Are you allowed to say that?
nickcarraweigh
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 6:01 p.m.
He flirts before he flees.
RJA
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 5:53 p.m.
This is sad! A 19 year old woman walking alone at 2:30 a.m. I'm glad the woman wasn't injured or worse.
justcurious
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 6:58 p.m.
What I want to say won't get accepted. I don't know that "sad" is the right word here.
Alan Goldsmith
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 5:39 p.m.
http://annarborchronicle.com/2012/04/09/city-council-on-art-dda-status-quo-is-ok/ The Mayor and Police Chief were busy someplace else enforcing the 'law' while police staffing is cut.
YpsiLivin
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
Just out of curiosity, why would a woman agree to take a man's phone number when she made it clear that she wasn't interested in talking to him in person?
YouAreNotAlwaysRight
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 5:08 p.m.
Are phones really that valuable anymore? Seems like everyone has one nowadays and most are traceable, just seems like criminals would be more prone to snatching a purse or something.
smokeblwr
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 6:08 p.m.
An MePhone is hundreds of dollars and can be turned around to an unsuspecting buyer within a matter of hours. Most college age kids prefer the MePhone, thus any perp knows that if he spots a college age kid walking around they have a gold mine on them with just the phone, not to mention credit cards.
smokeblwr
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 3:58 p.m.
Wasn't a black Dodge Charger involved in the phone-snatchin' up on North Campus?
Ulysses Wong
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 4:23 p.m.
Ah but has the car been in impound? Has it's whereabouts been confirmed?
Kyle Feldscher
Tue, Apr 10, 2012 : 4:17 p.m.
Indeed it was. However, the two suspects in that case (both the driver and the alleged robber) have been arrested and both of those men were still lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail today. They've been lodged there since April 4, so it's believed to be unrelated.