Police Use iPhone to Track Suspects in Robbery at Oakland Mall

A tracking application installed on the stolen iPhone of a woman who was dragged along the ground during a robbery outside is credited for helping police locate her attacker.

Three Detroit residents were arraigned Wednesday in 52-4 Oakland County District Court in Troy on charges of robbery and being held at the Oakland County Jail in lieu of $25,000 surety bond, Troy police Lt. Robert Redmond said Thursday.

Redmond said officers were summoned about 2:30 p.m. Monday to the report of a strong-arm robbery outside Oakland Mall, 412 W. 14 Mile Rd. The victim, a 26-year-old St. Clair Shores woman, told officers she exited her car and opened the trunk when she was approached from behind by a man attempting to steal her purse.

Police said Paul Cy Phelps, 17, of Detroit, dragged the woman on the pavement as she held on to the purse and screamed for help. The woman told officers her attacker eventually released her grip on the purse and entered a car waiting in the parking lot, which fled the area at a high rate of speed.

"She was dragged about 15 feet before letting go," Redmond said.

The woman advised officers her iPhone was in the purse and equipped with a mobile tracking application. She then provided police with her password and permission to access her information to locate the phone.

With assistance from her cell phone provider, officers located the phone in Auburn Hills. Investigators tracked the suspects until they started traveling south on Interstate 75 and back through Troy. Patrol officers stopped the vehicle near I-75 and East 14 Mile Road where the suspects were taken into custody.

Police said the victim's purse and phone were located in the vehicle, as well as two other purses found to be stolen from victims in Taylor, including a 67-year-old woman who sustained several injuries.

Redmond said Kiara Lasha Harris, 18, and Bianca Faye Bell, 21, both of Detroit, were arraigned on charges of unarmed robbery and fraudulent use/possession of a stolen credit card. Phelps, who was charged as an adult, was arraigned on one count of unarmed robbery. A fourth individual was released.

Police said Bell's 2-year-old daughter and 6-year-old niece also were in the vehicle. The children were released to the custody of relatives.