It’s one thing to steal something from a store, but it’s a different thing to steal something from a helpless paralyzed human being. 38-year old William Washington is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Washington uses an iPhone to communicate with other people. He uses a special pointer that will input messages into the iPhone. The message will then be converted into sound via a voice technology software. Washington was in the lobby of his Staten Island apartment building when an 18-year old boy grabbed his iPhone and ran away.
Washington was unable to call 911 for help, but he was able to write an email to the NYPD, which was eventually received and noted. After studying the surveillance video, the police were able to capture the young thief, whose identity was not named. In an interview with NBC, Washington says that he felt “helpless” and “scarred,” adding that he now has to use an old computer to get his message across. “You shouldn’t steal from a disabled person who relies on a special device to reach out to the world,” Washington wrote in his computer. Unfortunately, the stolen iPhone was never recovered, but thanks to his generous friends, William Washington is getting a new one.
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