MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - Seattle police caught an alleged car thief by remotely locking him inside the stolen BMW 550i with the help of the automaker.
The Seattle Police Department said in its blog that the incident took place in Seattle in November. The 38-year-old car thief became trapped inside the car after the door locks were remotely activated by BMW employees, who was contacted by the police.
According to the police, the thief was prowling around cars with some friends when he spotted an unlocked BMW 550i in a parking garage. He discovered that a set of keys were mistakenly left in the vehicle, hopped in the driver's seat and sped off.
The BMW's owner had got married a day earlier and loaned the car to a friend, who mistakenly left a key fob inside. After the car's owner discovered her car was missing in the early hours of the morning, she called the police who then contacted BMW's head office.
BMW then tracked the vehicle and after police located the car parked in an alley, they found the thief fast asleep inside the car, with the engine still running. BMW employees were able to remotely lock the car's doors, trapping the suspect inside.
Officers roused the suspect, who tried to drive away, but was unsuccessful. Police arrested the man and found that he was carrying a small amount of methamphetamine. He was booked into the King County Jail for auto theft and drug possession.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX