robbery
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North Carolina deputy kills suspected PS3 thief and his dog [update 2]
A New Hanover County sheriff's deputy Friday night shot and killed a man suspected in an armed robbery of two PlayStation 3 consoles. Peyton Strickland, 18, was killed inside his rented home while unarmed, claimed one of his roommates. Authorities were serving a warrant for Strickland's arrest in connection with his suspected involvement in the theft of two PS3s from a University of North Carolina Wilmington student on November 17. A deputy also shot and killed Strickland's German shepherd outside the home.Investigators are currently reviewing the conduct of all officers involved in the tragic incident. "No one's above the law. If there's any criminal conduct that can be established, I'm not going to hesitate to treat them as any other defendant," vowed District Attorney Ben David.Update 1: Deputy charged with 2nd degree murder for slaying of suspected PS3 thiefUpdate 2: Murder charged dropped against deputy who shot suspected PS3 thief
PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous
While selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn't worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn't quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for "attempted murder and robbery." One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains "on the loose." While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far -- so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we'd say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won't.Update: Looks like the second fellow has now been apprehended and faces his own $1 million bond. Tsk tsk.
73 year old grandmother shoved in PSP robbery
A 13 year old boy was robbed of his newly purchased PSP in the once-peaceful town of Largo, Florida. A teen came up behind him, took the system, and shoved the victim's 73 year old grandmother to the floor. "I said, 'Give me my PSP back!' and I ran and I was right behind him, but I didn't do anything. I didn't know if he had a gun or not."Tampa Bay's 10 reports that the police are still investigating the crime.
$2.1 million in Xbox 360s stolen
If only all British crime were as goofy as a Guy Ritchie movie. Over in Britain, due to the fact they don't have PS3s to shoot each other over yet, criminals have gone for the next best thing and are hijacking trucks containing Xbox 360s. So far two trucks carrying the consoles have been hit in less then a week. Both trucks hijacked were from the same firm, Hellman Worldwide Logistics, making it sound like either the hijackers liked how easy it was stealing from them the first time around, or it was an inside job.Staffordshire police are asking for help, "We are appealing for information from anyone who is offered these games in suspicious circumstances, such as in a pub, at a car boot sale or off the back of a lorry."We'd love to help the Staffordshire police except that we don't think the thieves will be advertising in a magazine, selling them to people who have boots on their cars -- that's already expensive enough to get off as is, right? -- or selling them off anyone named Lorry's back. What strange ways British thieves fence goods. (Rimshot)[via Engadget]
GameStop employees fake PS3 theft, face charges
Two GameStop employees were arrested earlier this week in connection with the theft of four PlayStation 3 units. Tauryn Robert Hodge and Gerald Anthony Keys, both 19, face charges of suspected embezzlement, burglary, and conspiracy. Hodge has also been slapped with a charge for filing a false police report.Last Thursday, on the eve of the PlayStation 3 launch, Hodge told police that two armed gunmen robbed his GameStop and made off with four of the coveted consoles. Despite not yet recovering the stolen PS3s, detectives have determined that Hodge and at least one other accomplice were actually the ones responsible for the theft. Both Hodge and Keys have posted bail and are no longer in police custody.[Thanks, Esteban]
Violence escalates during PS3 launch [update 9]
Yesterday it was BB guns, today a report from a Putnam, Connecticut PS3 line involves real guns. Early this morning, two armed gunmen approached a line of PlayStation 3 hopefuls gathered outside of the Putnam, Conn., Wal-Mart, demanding money from those in line. "One of the patron's resisted. That patron was shot," police Lt. J. Paul Vance told the AP. There has been word of the victim's condition and the hunt for the two gunmen continues.Elsewhere, in Elk Grove, California, two different gunmen walked into a GameStop yesterday morning and made off with four PS3s. No injuries were reported and the robbers are still at large.Reports of general chaos and disorder in PS3 lines across the country have been pouring in all day. Engadget has collected links to many of them, and we'll update here with any others as we hear about them.[Thanks to everyone who sent both these stories in.] Read - Shot waiting in lineRead - Gunmen Steal PS3s
On trial for computer theft, burglar steals PCs from courthouse
In our last installment of Stupid Gadget Criminals, we brought you the amusing tale of two dimwitted Arkansas men who had made a habit of stuffing videogames from Wal-Mart down their pants and then reselling the stolen merchandise at a local GameStop outlet -- which happened to be right next door to the 'Mart. Today's episode features a Marin County, California gentleman by the name of Jon Houston Eipp who was caught by police trying to steal a number of Apple computers from Portal Publications in Ignacio; Eipp was captured following a brief struggle, while his accomplice was apprehended minutes later after crashing the getaway car on an off-ramp. So far there's nothing all that noteworthy about this crime -- until Eipp showed up in court last Wednesday for his hearing, that is -- when, upon being released on bail, he proceeded to hide in the Civic Center courthouse until closing time and steal even more computers by carting them out in a recycling bin. Even though he was stopped by maintenance workers and sheriff's deputies on the way out, Mr. Eipp still managed to vacate the premises without being apprehended, and might have remained a free man for awhile longer had he not been caught later that night trying to steal a 1996 Volkswagen. Although one might gather from this story that Eipp has a severe Internet addiction, he later admitted that he was just stealing the PCs for drug money, a habit that he'll hopefully be able to kick during a likely prison term of 4+ years.[Via Fark]
Saved by the Bell's Screech mugged
Dustin Diamond, aka "Screech" from the "hit" television series Saved by the Bell is going through some tough times. He hasn't had a "career" since his teen acting days, he's losing his house, and now... he's lost his precious PSP games (to quote "good games.") According to his account on a Florida radio station, a woman broke into his hotel room with some mace, grabbed his PSP games and ran out. He tried to stop her, but she yelled "rape" and ran away.If you feel sorry for the guy, go and buy a t-shirt from him.(This incredible non-news story was brought to you by our sister site, TV Squad. Let's never do a crossover with them ever again.)
Methods for escaping robbery with your iPod
It should already be fairly obvious that your iPod is a hot commodity, and the last thing you need is a crazed individual taking a stab at you, or worse, swiping your portable. You've already been warned by the NYPD that rocking the token white headphones is a big no-no, and Thomas Pink even designed a shirt and tie to keep iPod-jackers at bay, but the folks over at CNET UK have a few tricks of their own to keep you from becoming a statistic. As you may or may not be aware, gadget theft in Britain is out of control, and the methods were devised after a CNET UK editor was mugged, not too dissimilar from a situation of our own. The gaffer tape method consists of taping the iPod to your body -- using 15 rounds of tape -- so that your assailant gets frustrated with the challenge and hopefully gives up pursuit, while the paperback method throws back to secrecy of old by suggesting you remove an inner chunk of a novel to let your iPod reside, and since most thieves don't care about bestsellers, you'll likely avoid a tragic conclusion. For owners living in really sketch areas, the Christopher Walken method is nearly foolproof: for Pulp Fiction fans, the iPod's hiding location comes as no surprise. For more clever disguising options to keep you and your Apple tagalong safe, be sure to hit the read link for CNET UK's suggestions, complete with "Anti-mugger" ratings and all.
