TMO Artist's Rendering of the Event
The incident took place in Elver Park in Madison, when a 20-year-old man was walking along the path and texting on his iPhone. According to an incident report published by the Madison Police Department, the iPhone owner was approached by a teenager from the other direction.
The report described the suspect as, “Male, black, late teens, 6', short hair, goatee, wearing a red t-shirt and black pants.” The would-be victim was not described other than his age.
The victim said he nodded a greeting to the stranger, and that when they were next to one another, the suspect grabbed at his iPhone. This sort of muggery has been so popular, it has earned the nickname “Apple picking.” It has resulted in calls from police departments around the U.S. to make remote kill switches mandatory on “smartphones” (but they mean iPhones).
What ensued was a drawn out “tug-of-war for possession.” As it continued, “the suspect began pushing the victim in the face with the open hand of his free arm,” and that's when the would-be victim had enough.
In his statement to police, he said, “he got tired of tussling with the suspect and decided to punch (him) in the face.”
According to the police, the would-be Apple picker fell to ground, got up, fled, and then had the nerve to shout expletives at the man whose stuff he had tried to steal. The erstwhile victim, on the other hand, ran in the opposite direction to Madison Police Department's West District station, which was only a block away.
The creep of a mugger definitely had some nerve, but hopefully he has a black eye or a busted nose to go with it.
Like I said, this story isn't going to change the world, but reading it put a smile on my face. It's nice to see things work out like they should.
[Via Madison.com]
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.