Prosecutors: Man who robbed Radio Shack tracked down using GPS he stole

Chicago Tribune ^ | April 8, 2012 | Dan Hinkel

[ConservativeStatement]

A Chicago man robbed a Radio Shack of $17,000 in merchandise, but police tracked him down quickly thanks to the global positioning equipment he stole, prosecutors said.

[ConservativeStatement]

Otherwise an intelligent being, just unlucky that day.

[FlingWingFlyer]

You can’t fix stupid. Especially in Chicago.

[NonValueAdded]

Revenge of the Nerds!!!

[lightman]

Hehehe.

[Paladin2]

What does RS have that one can carry off $17K of? $1700 I can see.

[Revolting cat!]

Pretty soon you won’t be able to shoplift an ordinary #2 pencil, ‘coz it’ll have GPS chip in it, or else you and what you legitimately carry will be tracked by your cellphone.

[max americana]

Shoplift from Best Buy. Their new policy is just let you run away with it..

[builder]

Technology can be a bitch. hahahahaha

Seriously though, all this tracking ability is kinda scary.

[cardinal4]

He looks like he could be Obama’s son..

[Vendome]

GPS is receiver not transceiver. So how did they track him?

[Sacajaweau]

GPS units, radios, laptops

[JRandomFreeper]

That was my question.

/johnny

[ConservativeStatement]

I checked their website. Start with a few laptops is my guess. Maybe video systems and other devices? Perhaps RS has the ultimate AA battery? /sarc.

[Gay State Conservative]

GPS is receiver not transceiver. So how did they track him?

I'm a real amateur when it comes to technology but my cell phone,for example,is capable of broadcasting its location using GPS technology.I've also read that there are other devices that can do the same thing.Perhaps that's what got him.

[Paladin2]

Sounds to me like a pile of stash worth $17k would make it hard to see the door.

[Chode]

thank you...

[Sacajaweau]

Probably pulled the truck right up to the door and just tossed it in.

[Paladin2]

LOL, that would cover my question about how he could run down the street juggling the stack. I was thinking he could become an act on the Ed Sullivan Show.

[Red Steel]

GPS is receiver not transceiver. So how did they track him?

The perp also took their cell phones.

"Jefferson, of the 6700 block of South Evans Avenue, threatened the victims with a handgun, bound their hands with plastic ties and took their cell phones before stealing other electronics equipment...."

Viola.

[JRandomFreeper]

That would do it. Xmit on the slightly sub-gigahertz band instead of 1.5 where GPS lives.

But I'm just a cook, what do I know?

/johnny