BMW Remotely Locks Sleeping Thief in Stolen Car

Introduction

A suspect in a Seattle car theft had a rude awakening last week when the car he allegedly stole seemed to take on a life of its own.

The man accused of stealing a BMW 550i on Nov. 30 found himself trapped inside the stolen car while surrounded by law enforcement officers in Seattle.

#1 Car Locking And Unlocking Can Be Controlled By Smartphone

BMW's remote access app allows owners to lock and unlock their cars from their smartphone, but says nothing about sound system access. Their corporate center may have more options, but it's unlikely that theft prevention specialists taunted the thief. Police "roused the suspect" who then tried unsuccessfully to drive off in the car again. He was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for auto theft and drug possession.

#2 Car Owner Was Just Gotten Married A Day Earlier

Best of all, the vehicle's owner had gotten married a day earlier. She lent the car to a friend, who accidentally left the key fob inside and the car unlocked, because sometimes your friends are dumbasses right after a boozy wedding. Fortunately, she got her car back, and the SPD got the easiest grand theft auto arrest possible.

#3 This Feature Is Simply Awesome

"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," wrote Jonah Spangenthal-Lee of the Seattle Police Department, quoting the comic book "Watchmen." Spangenthal-Lee said that the quote was speculative on his part but that's what he would certainly say in the same situation.

The man was arrested and charged with auto theft and drug possession due to the small amount of methamphetamine discovered on him, police said.

Several automakers including BMW, Audi and Toyota offer remote locking and tracking in their vehicles. It is frequently cited as a safety feature should a car be stolen.