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Wow, if this isn't an endorsement for T-Mobile AND for youngsters to have cell phones, we don't know what is! Twelve-year-old Katie Ruiz managed to stop a robbery in progress at her home by using her new Sidekick to call 911.
On Wednesday night, four men stormed into the Ruiz's two-story home in Flushing, after threatening her cousin at gunpoint to let them in. Newsday reports that her father, who has a car-financing business, and stepbrother were made to stay on the second floor while her stepmother and cousin were "kept on the first floor."
Katie, a seventh grader who splits time between her father's house and her mother's home in Astoria, said she was doing math homework in an upstairs bedroom when she saw a man holding a gun rush past her door. She quickly ran to the closet.Katie's closet door was blocked by the bedroom door, which may have been why the men didn't find her as they ransacked the house. The 911 operator told her to stay put, even if her name was called "because they might be tricking you" and soon the police arrived."I remembered, 'Oh yeah, my phone is out there, I better get that,'" she said. She grabbed her phone -- a gift from her father -- and got back in the closet to call 911. "I was nervous because I couldn't control my phone because it's new," she said.
The invaders tried to escape by jumping out of a second-floor window, but all were arrested and charged with burglary, robbery, unlawful imprisonment, and more. Katie's father called her a hero, and the girl did tell Newsday about one issue she had with her new Sidekick 3: "I dialed 911 but I hit the 'check' button instead of 'call.' I had to redial it."
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keepin' a cool head girl... rock on.
what the hell is up with flushing? Everytime there is a super weird violent crime it's in flushing now. Is flushing the new bronx?
Why is this story Sidekick-centric? Any old cellphone would've done the trick, and without the girl accidentally hitting the wrong button. Gothamist must be shilling....
Ha - I have Cingular (and a Treo). I'm so not shilling.
This will just validate the over usage of the sidekick . T-Mobile should take full advantage of this incident like any other company would .
High props to that level headed 12 yr old-- good thinking and way to stay calm in a scary situation. At 12, I don't think I could have been as mature and probably would've freaked out.
Katie, I would be proud to have you as a member of my family...
that's a picture of a sidekick 2, yo.
oh and how did you avoid the "crime-fighting sidekick" pun?
What is up with all these props? good thinking? try the only thing a reasonable person could do. Basically, all she did was use a cell phone. It's like being trapped in a snowstorm and having to eat the last candy bar to stay alive. No one ever says it was good thinking to eat that candy bar. Now if she had macgyvered a phone line and used it to send electromagnetic impulses as a digital SOS then I'd say that was good thinking.
Gees Kil, are you threatened by a quick thinking 12 yr. old girl? She actually did MORE than just use a cell phone, btw.
She saw a guy with a gun run past her bedroom door! Instead of being a "deer in the headlights," she ran into her closet. Then she LEFT her closet to go back and get her cell phone.
I think she's pretty brave, and Is your name short for Killjoy? Cause you're kind of a whiney baby for no reason at all.
Bravo! Good Job!!
Yo I thought it was gona be something like she went online to her police dept web site or something ... so next time some one calls 911 from a pay phone we'll give props to the payphone booth also.
Wow, I have a sony ericsson and all I have to do is push #9... and it calls the cops.. I used to have a side kick, but I had the same problem with dialing...