MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A young woman is warning others not to do what she did after someone stole her iPhone at a Memphis gas station.
A 26-year-old woman who did not want to be identified, said she took matters into her own hands – tracking down the suspect who turned out to be armed. Police ultimately made an arrest in the case, but she said in hindsight it wasn't worth the risk.
She said the theft happened a few nights ago after she stopped to fill her car up with gas at a gas station in Hickory Hill, a neighborhood on the city's southeast side.
"I felt eerie the whole time I pulled up because I never stop to get gas at night," she told WREG. "My mother has always told me that."
Brushing her instincts aside, she went inside to pay.
After filling up, she got back in her vehicle and drove away. She noticed her phone wasn't connecting to her car's Bluetooth or her Apple Watch. After a search of the car, she still couldn't find her iPhone XR.
She used the Find My iPhone feature to track the phone down.
"It showed me exactly where it was at," she said.
The phone was at an apartment complex minutes away from the gas station.
"I remembered I did not lock my doors when I got out of my car," she said.
She said she was caught off-guard by some men watching her from a nearby pump when she went to pay. She remembered their truck and what they looked like, and the young woman and two friends set off to the complex.
"I felt as if I get this tag number, I'm just going to call the police," she said.
Sure enough, she quickly spotted the truck.
"As soon as they noticed my car, they flee the scene," she said.
She wasn't able to get the tag number, so they began to follow the truck. She said at one point, the vehicle spun out and a passenger pointed a gun at them.
"I got the tag," she said. "I met the police, and I gave them my whole report. They were actually shocked that I did that."
A few days later, officers arrested a man named Kevin Mack, who later admitted to the crime, according to court documents.
"I would never do this again," the woman said.
She said it wasn't worth the risk.
Her advice to others; follow your instincts if you don't think a situation is safe. And lock your doors.
"Don't do what I did," she said. "I'm very thankful that I didn't get hurt. No one else got hurt in the process."
