Back in June, the New York Times had a feature story on Apple’s retail warriors. While the workers appeared long on loyalty and corporate enthusiasm, they were on the short end of the payscale. What the article didn’t discuss was the employees’ ability to apprehend kidnappers.
Yes, this really does happen at Apple stores.
According to Louisville’s WDRB.com, this past Saturday evening, a female Apple shopper received help from a store employee after being “kidnapped” and asked to purchase numerous phones at different venues. By the time she arrived at Apple, the ruse had come to an end.
Using discretion, the Apple worker contacted authorities and the kidnapper was subsequently arrested by Louisville police.
Who knew Apple workers could perform in such a high-pressure situation?
But here’s another part to the story. The woman initially connected with the kidnapper, “Greg”, after they arranged to go out out on a date. The woman had met her assailant a few weeks earlier but she didn’t known his real name is Victor A. Sarver, Jr.
She felt safe enough to allow him to come to her home and pick her up. What she probably didn’t expect was “Greg” would bring a gun, place it on her leg (why there, so she couldn’t run?) and then while at gunpoint, request that they drive around to numerous stores and buy phones in her name; she was also expected to bankroll the transactions, reported WDRB.com.
After a spending binge–probably not your typical Saturday night date–the coupled arrived at Oxmoor Mall’s Apple store. This is where Greg’s gig ended as the Apple worker successfully contacted store security and the police arrived.
“Greg” wasn’t very cooperative with police as he altered his story “multiple times,” on how he had eventually landed at the Apple store, as noted in the police report. Police took sworn statements from employees of the Apple store for the case, along with photographs of text messages between “Greg” and his date.
Sarver has been arrested and charged with kidnapping and robbery.
The save by the Apple employee comes at an interesting time, as the company recently launched ads during that the Olympics that had included Apple Genius technicians “rescuing” customers.
In one of the three ads named, “Labor Day” a father-to-be knocks on the door of an Apple Genius’ home at 4 am, and asks for help in creating a “photo card to announce a birth.” The technician not only talks about the different options for the announcement, but also offers to phone an ambulance.
Maybe Saturday night’s victim had seen the ads and knew she’d be safe under the watchful eyes of Apple employees.
