Robber kidnapped man at gas station in search of Apple ID for iPhone, US cops say


According to Ortiz’s arrest report, the victim had the valuables with him because he was ‘having trouble with his wife’. She also was the only one who had the iPhone’s Apple ID information, the report said. — Photo by James Yarema on Unsplash

It started as a robbery, deputies say: 19-year-old Yandel Eliel Ortiz approached a man who was gassing up a Ford Explorer at a RaceTrac on Alafaya Trail on Thursday afternoon, held him at gunpoint, fired a shot through the SUV’s windshield and demanded his belongings.

But when the victim handed over a new iPhone 14 – but was unable to provide the Apple ID – Ortiz kidnapped the man, forcing him to drive them to the victim’s home in search of the digital credentials, an arrest report said.

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