If you get mugged, make sure you have an iWitness

Lovely story from Good Morning Silicon Valley.

In deference to the tradition of local TV newscasts, a crime report leads this edition of the iWitness roundup, but it’s a crime report with a happy ending … except for the perps. The unnamed victim in the case was strolling through Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood around 1 a.m. Saturday when two gentlemen approached and asked for his wallet, credit card PIN numbers and iPhone, emphasizing their request with what appeared to be a handgun. After handing over the goods and notifying authorities and his banks, the man turned to his computer and fired up the Find My iPhone GPS-location feature of Apple’s MobileMe service. Sure enough, there was his phone, faithfully tracking its abductors on a shopping trip at a North Versailles Wal-Mart, then a snack stop at Eat’n Park, and finally to a gas station, where police caught up and took three men into custody, along with the stolen items and a pellet gun. With luck, the iPhone will take down a few more bad guys before word of this defense measure spreads down to street-thug level.