Selfies left on victim’s phone help ID carjacking suspect in North Carolina, cops say
An armed carjacking suspect in Indiana inadvertently got himself arrested, when detectives realized he left behind incriminating selfies, the Indianapolis Police Department says.
Dustin Curry, 30, was captured about three days later — on Thanksgiving Day — in Asheville, North Carolina, more than 450 miles southeast of the crime scene, officials said in a news release.
“Curry has been identified as the suspect of a November carjacking after accidentally taking ‘selfies’ on the victim’s cell phone,” Indianapolis police officials said.
“Through several tips provided ... by community members, detectives were able to identify Curry (from the photos). ... Detectives also had reason to believe that Curry had fled to North Carolina after the carjacking.”
Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina were alerted and began looking for Curry, who was considered “armed and dangerous,” according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
He was caught on Nov. 25, “along with the stolen vehicle,” Indianapolis police said. Curry was also armed with a gun, Buncombe County officials said.
The carjacking occurred around 10 a.m. on Nov. 22, when an armed man “approached on the driver’s side with a handgun” and threatened to shoot the female driver, WTHR reported.
She got out and left her phone in the car, and tracking showed it had been discarded in someone’s yard, police said.
It was the victim who later noticed two unfamiliar selfies on the phone and alerted police, according to WTHR.
Buncombe County jail records show Curry’s bond was set at $300,000 and he is charged with: possession of stolen goods/property; carrying a concealed gun; possession of a firearm by a felon; possession of a stolen motor vehicle; fleeing to elude arrest; reckless driving; driving without a license and speeding. His court date is Dec. 20, records show.
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