Two alleged armored car bandits are in custody because of the Apple AirTag they didn’t know they were stealing.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, authorities say a brazen robbery of an armored car took place outside a Jewel-Osco store, located at 3153 183rd St. in Homewood.
While one courier was using the restroom, the FBI says a suspect approached the second one with a gun and robbed him of more than $1 million in cash. The crime was captured on surveillance cameras and photos were sent to media outlets.
What the pair didn’t know was that there was an AirTag at the bottom of one of the moneybags.
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According to federal court records, Devonte Davis and Darnell Singleton were arrested the following day at a home in Chicago's Calumet Park neighborhood. FBI agents say they also found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and other materials related to the robbery.
“I think it’s a great use of technology to keep track of possessions like that,” said Andrew Sternke, a private investigator and founder of Darkbox security systems.
Sternke said the devices, which send signals to networks of Apple phones, are being used more often because of their size and their low cost.
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“You can put them anywhere,” he said.
According to the FBI, Singleton was on the run after a similar Halloween heist at a Chase bank in Lansing. Court records show he was able to flee after he and his brother robbed another armored car driver at gunpoint and made off with a separate $1 million haul.
Their getaway car eventually crashed and police recovered bags of cash and a gun.
Corrie Singleton was arrested, but his brother remained a fugitive until the Homewood robbery this week.
