NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Thanks to a quick-thinking robbery victim and his camera phone, police had a photo of the suspect and tracked him down in 10 minutes, police said.
James Robert Barker was in custody on charges of aggravated robbery after allegedly holding up limousine driver Ismael Miranda early Friday at a car wash, police said.
"I don't think camera phones were made with the intent of being crime fighting tools, but they can certainly be just that," police spokesman Don Aaron said. "There are a lot more cameras in the pockets of Americans now with camera phones."
Miranda was cleaning his limousine at the car wash when a red pickup pulled in and parked in a wash bay. The pickup's driver, later identified as Barker, made small talk before pulling a knife and demanding Miranda's money.
Barker chased Miranda, threw a garbage can at him and fled. But not before an alert Miranda snapped a photo of Barker and his getaway truck using a camera phone, police said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/10/01/camera.phone.ap/index.html
James Robert Barker was in custody on charges of aggravated robbery after allegedly holding up limousine driver Ismael Miranda early Friday at a car wash, police said.
"I don't think camera phones were made with the intent of being crime fighting tools, but they can certainly be just that," police spokesman Don Aaron said. "There are a lot more cameras in the pockets of Americans now with camera phones."
Miranda was cleaning his limousine at the car wash when a red pickup pulled in and parked in a wash bay. The pickup's driver, later identified as Barker, made small talk before pulling a knife and demanding Miranda's money.
Barker chased Miranda, threw a garbage can at him and fled. But not before an alert Miranda snapped a photo of Barker and his getaway truck using a camera phone, police said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/10/01/camera.phone.ap/index.html