Assaulted/Robbed in Ashburn Village

[Mindflayer]

We went for a run tonight, and I blew my knee out on the back half. My wife ran ahead of me and was assaulted and her iPhone stolen. She gave chase, as did two good Samaritans, but they urged her to stop when he started fumbling in his pocket. The couple then raced in their car to find me, whereupon I ran to my wife and called 911.

Loudoun County police showed up in force, and were bend over backwards helpful and really did what they could to both get the info they needed from my wife.

This goes to show - no matter how safe you think you are, the criminals will attack. Of course, it's the one time my knee is blown out and the one time I am not carrying.

[jaywade]

that blows ...very sorry...I hope both you and you wife have a speedy recovery

[Mindflayer]

Wife is fine. After initial shock, she was mostly worried about something screwing with her Facebook status. I am more concerned that she turned OFF "Find my iPhone", so was unable to remotely wipe the phone or track location. That means it is possible he knows our address.

[Diomed]

No place is safe.

Hopefully your wife will be open to carrying and not relying on you to look after her.

[allingeneral]

Sorry to hear of this incident, Patrick. One can never be prepared for every possibility. I'm glad to hear that everyone is alright.

Can wireless carriers send a signal to a smart phone to clear the data from it? I've never considered this aspect of having my entire life saved on a piece of silicon (Droid-X) and having it stolen from my possession.

[OakRidgeStars]

Can wireless carriers send a signal to a smart phone to clear the data from it? I've never considered this aspect of having my entire life saved on a piece of silicon (Droid-X) and having it stolen from my possession.

Yes they can. It's called a remote data wipe and it can be done on almost any smartphone. They can also capture GPS location data to assist in locating the phone. But you need to call the carrier as soon as possible before the thieves wipe the phone to be resold. Once the phone's ESN is listed as stolen, the phone will never be activated in the U.S. again.

Glad to hear everyone is safe. You can always buy another phone.

[Riana]

I am more concerned that she turned OFF "Find my iPhone", so was unable to remotely wipe the phone or track location. That means it is possible he knows our address.

I have a "stupid phone" (as opposed to a "smart phone" ), but the same happens with GPSs all the time. That's why the "home" entry in mine is actually Sully Government Center. Let them try to rob THAT place.

Hopefully, you called your cell provider ASAP and had the phone shut down. At least the SOBs won't be able to profit from the theft. You still have the hassle of changing passwords, and the worry of what else might have been in the phone, but at least everyone is OK.

[firstcavapache64]

Glad to hear you both are okay physically. Now is a good time to discuss purchasing a can of joggers mace for her or perhaps even a class and a CHP but I don't know her feelings on that issue. Like someone else said unfortunately there just aren't any safe zones out there any more. I hope the knee heals up quickly. Was she listening to music on the phone while jogging or talking on the phone? I am only asking because this is something we all talk about, train for and prepare for and since you were a victim of it I was hoping you might be able to give more details of how it happened. I would not ask if she had been injured or if I felt this was more traumatic but it seems like you are willing to talk about it so more detail about how he actually approached her and how the robbery was carried out might help us protect our family members better. If you don't want to go into specifics I understand but I thought I would ask. Thanks.

[chfaunce]

Glad to hear you both are okay physically.

+1

Now might also be an awesome time to talk about bringing a German Shepherd into the household. You'd have to be crazy to go for a person with an 85 lb Shepherd running along side them

[Mindflayer]

She had turned off "Find My iPhone" on the device so I was unable to use the immediate GPS ability. I called AT&T, and they said he had turned off the device, so they killed the ability to use the phone. I am hoping he did actually turn off the phone, and didn't just pull the SIM. In any case, there was a password lock on the phone, so feel better. Not sure if he had enough time to pull our home address.

Details:

Wife had run off ahead about a quarter mile, and turned around across the street from our house to see where I was. She was walking back when the perp jumped on her back, forced her to the ground, and demanded, "Give me your iPhone." She struggled a bit, then gave chase (unwisely) along with two good Samaritans who also gave chase in their car. They advised her to stop when he started reaching into his pocket when he started to slow from being tired. At that point, the couple raced to find me, and I ran to her. Adrenaline has a hell of a way of overcoming pain - my knee is absolutely killing me today.

Lessons learned for my wife: Do not run off ahead of your partner. Pay attention to the surroundings. When passing someone on the sidewalk, look them in the eye, and say, "Hello." Carry that whistle and light I gave you. Do not risk your life and health for an iPhone.

[firstcavapache64]

Thanks for posting the details, I know they can be painful or stressful at the least. I grew up in DC and worked for Dominos Pizza in DC, Baltimore, and Atlanta. All in the worst areas of the city the company had because I had demonstrated I could do well in that environment. However, I was robbed at gunpoint 5 times and the last time was not even for money it was just a young punk trying to look tough for some gang banger buddies. Your observations are spot on and my wife read this and took away a good lesson on the color codes of awareness I am always preaching to her. Thanks again for sharing a personal story with the forum that may help some of us protect our wives and daughters better and I am very glad your wife wasn't seriously injured. Get that mace for her, it really will help stop most attackers.

[chfaunce]

I'm pretty amazed, too, that the iPhones are really that in demand. Sure, I could see it if they had an app that would print money or something, but damn.

Guess I'll hang on to my crappy Blackberry.

[Mindflayer]

I encouraged her cousin to talk to her about going to the range and learning to shoot. She has gone from hating that I brought a gun into the home, to being comfortable that I carry most of the time, to now thinking maybe she should learn to shoot.

[chfaunce]

My wife is the exact same way. Only, it was I that talked to her about guns and she really never had a problem with them being in the house, even before I took her to shoot (she's also a Clint Eastwood fan, so I suspected it'd be an easy sell). Of course, now that I have taken her to the range she's interested in getting her CHP and purchasing one of her own. So proud!

[firstcavapache64]

I would encourage you to bring her to our next shoot and greet when we have one. It is a great environment to introduce your wife to a lot of different guns and there are usually a lot of wives that like to shoot as well. Maybe she would feel more comfortable with more women around. My wife loved shooting with everyone at the one we had in Culpeper a while back. Also there are some great women only NRA classes and range days at some of the local gun ranges near me, don't know if they have them near you or not but that might be a good starting point. Hopefully they catch the jack ass that did this before this happens to anyone else or maybe he picks on the wrong person and instead of a phone the app he gets is the .45 ACP app and that ends it.

[kjkimx]

09/13/10
2149 hrs.
Gloucester Parkway/ Runnymeade Terrace
Ashburn Strong Arm Robbery: Shortly before 10 p.m. 42-year-old Ashburn woman was jogging in the area when she was assaulted and her cell phone was taken. The suspect grabbed the victim from behind and threw her to the ground and demanded her cell phone. No weapon was displayed and the victim did not require medical attention. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 5’8” tall, with curly hair and has a heavy build. He was wearing dark clothing and fled the area on foot in an unknown direction. An aerial and ground search was conducted in the area but no suspect was located.
C2010-014669

I read this on LCSO daily incident report... Didn't know it happened to someone from forums.
Assaulting/robbing people just for a iPhone?
Ashburn area is getting worse and worse...

Glad to hear you made it out safely though.

[KaosDad]

Holy Crap!!!!! That was you!!!!?????? That's right down the road!

[easternplinker]

So sorry this happened. I am glad everyone is ok. I hope they catch the guy soon. We are in Ashburn too. Things have gotten a little crazy recently.

FWIW, my wife really took to handgun far better than I expected. We set up a private session with a local trainer, http://www.marksmenmasters.com/. She loved the education and appreciated the expert pointers on the range. It helped that she was very accurate right out of the gates.

I am thinking your experience might motivate my wife to finish and submit her CHP application. Even if she chooses not to carry regularly, she will at least have the option.

See you at SEG sometime.

[Mindflayer]

That was her, Rich. She is more shaken up tonight than she was last night.

[GS78]

I will ask, if only to worsen jim's opinions of me, " Can you tell us the ethnicity of the assailants,please?" I am not familiar with this location, and am deeply interested in its complection, diversely ...