Luxury vehicles usually come with luxury technologies—a lesson one Seattle car thief learned the hard way.
On Nov. 27, Seattle police officers arrested a 38-year-old man who had been remotely locked inside a stolen BMW.
According to the Seattle Police Department, the burglar was prowling cars with friends when he hit the jackpot: an unlocked BMW 550i with the keys still inside. It turns out the just-married—and presumably honeymooning—owner had lent their vehicle to an absent-minded friend.
Upon discovery of the missing car (stolen from a parking garage in the 4300 block of 8th Avenue Northeast), police were summoned and unusual action was taken.
"BMW employees were able to remotely lock the car's doors, trapping the suspect inside, presumably while hissing something terrifying like 'I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me' into the car's sound system," SPD Deputy Director of Communications Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote, quoting Watchmen in a summary of the event.
Car thief arrested after being remotely locked inside @BMW https://t.co/ETv6onAKVj
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) November 30, 2016
Exclusive gif footage: pic.twitter.com/0zPI9AbPdS
When the cops arrived around 5:45 a.m., they found the still-running car parked in an alley, and a sleeping swindler in the driver's seat.
Following an unsuccessful attempt to flee the scene, the man—found with a small amount of methamphetamine—was arrested for auto theft and drug possession, SPD reported.
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BMW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company earlier this year released the BMW Connected app in an attempt to integrate vehicles with their owners: The service notifies users of traffic delays, texts friends with an ETA, highlights access to parking and gas stations, and allows folks to remotely lock car doors.
But, for those times your smartphone or tablet is just out of network reach, BMW can take control.