A Bird scooter was used in an armed robbery earlier this week.
It happened in Belair Edison on Monday night when a man was sitting on a bench on Erdman Avenue after trying to fix a flat tire.
According to Baltimore Police, the victim was on his phone when the suspect raced up on a Bird scooter, pulled out a gun and said “gimme your phone!”
The victim handed it over and the suspect ran away leaving the scooter.
When police arrived, they couldn’t track down the suspect and realized the Exxon across the street didn’t have cameras that worked, but police did have that Bird scooter and its serial number.
Scooter companies use apps on your phone and in order to rent them, customers are asked for license and credit card information.
The info on that Bird scooter could also provide the GPS history of the suspect or even his identity.
Baltimore Police have yet to say if they reached out to Bird for the information or if the company, which is currently part of a pilot program in Baltimore, is sharing that information.
In a statement to WMAR- 2 News Bird said, “Bird is committed to partnering with cities to ensure that the community, and its visitors, safely embrace our affordable, environmentally friendly transportation option. We strongly recommend reporting any incidents that Bird scooters are involved in, as we have a support team dedicated to safety that is available to address questions and reports we receive. Bird investigates all reports made to the company and takes appropriate measures, including working with law enforcement.”
We asked specifically if the company provides GPS history or user information if the scooter is used in a commission of a crime, but WMAR has not heard back from a company spokesperson.
It is unclear if other scooters have been used in crimes in Baltimore City.
When asked, police could not tell WMAR-2 News if there are other instances like this armed robbery in Northeast Baltimore.
