Man Arrested for Allegedly Stealing More Than 100 Phones at Coachella
Police have arrested a man suspected of attempting to steal more than 100 phones during the fist weekend of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Reinaldo De Jesus Henao was arrested by Indio Police Department officers Friday for grand theft and possession of stolen property, KTLA reported.
During the festival, multiple attendees noticed their phones were missing and started using the Find My iPhone feature to track them down. Some victims, Indio police said, were able to follow Henao across festival grounds before he was detained by security. Once Indio police arrived at the scene, Henao—with a backpack full of more than 100 phones—was arrested.
Several devices were returned to their owners on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The rest of the phones, police said, can be recovered via Coachella’s on-site lost and found services. Multiple phones are currently listed on Coachella’s docket for Weekend 1, as well as a bunch of driver licenses and a Crate & Barrel shopping bag packed with a dozen champagne glasses.
In light of the alleged mass phone theft, local police have reminded Coachella attendees to take extra precautions when it comes to securing their personal belongings. “Spread your valuables instead of keeping them in [one] place,” Sgt. Dan Marshall said in a news release Sunday. “If you are unlucky enough to be a victim of pickpocketing, and your ID, passport, cards, and important documents are spread out, you will not lose everything in one go.” Marshall also recommends keeping wallets/phones in front pockets and employing “dummy” versions of each.
