BMW’s smart cars have brains, beauty, and yes, brawn.
An alleged thief learned this the hard way after the car itself turned against him, locking him inside and serving as a temporary holding cell as the authorities bore down upon him. As first reported by the Seattle Police Department’s blog, “A car thief awoke from a sound slumber Sunday morning to find he had been remotely locked inside a stolen BMW.”
According to police reports, the alleged culprit found the unlocked BMW 550I in a parking garage, and apparently couldn’t resist the temptation to take it. The owner of the car had loaned the vehicle to a friend, who mistakenly left the key fob inside, making it easy for an ill-intentioned individual to cause some mischief. But it didn’t take long for the rightful owner to discover that her car wasn’t where it was supposed to be. She then contacted the authorities.
Seattle police then made contact with employees at BMW, who were able not only to track the vehicle’s whereabouts, but also lock the car from afar, trapping the suspect in the crime scene (unbeknownst to him, apparently). “Officers roused the suspect, who quickly, but unsuccessfully, tried to drive away,” according to the blog. “Police arrested the 38-year-old man, and found he was carrying a small amount of methamphetamine. He was booked into the King County Jail for auto theft and drug possession.”
So even if you think you don’t need your car to be all that connected or all that smart, you never know when that kind of intelligence may turn into loyalty. And if nothing else, let this be a lesson to car thieves everywhere — sleeping in stolen vehicles probably isn’t the best way to avoid arrest.
