Instagram Live video ‘led to murder suspect’s arrest’
September 21, 2017 11:55 am
US police say an Instagram Live video helped lead to the arrest of a “most wanted” fugitive earlier this week. Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez allegedly streamed footage of himself alongside several guns on the Facebook-owned app.
Dallas police detectives say the feed identified the man’s location and they passed these details on to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD says it subsequently captured the 18-year-old at about 02:00 local time on Tuesday.
Gonzalez had been added to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Most Wanted Fugitives list in August, after he was accused of murder, several home robberies and involvement in organised crime.
The Los Angeles Times reports he had tried to escape arrest by fleeing in a car when the officers arrived, but crashed it into a pole and was then tracked down by a police dog.
Saved videos
Instagram added the ability to broadcast live videos in November 2016.
Previously, users were able to share the clips with only their friends in real-time and the footage self-destructed as soon as the stream ended.
But earlier this year the app added the ability for members to share video replays within their Stories section, where others can watch them for up to 24 hours.
Instagram records users’ global positioning system (GPS) co-ordinates when they use the feature, in order to let others browse its Stories by location.
The US police declined to provide further information about Mr Gonzalez’s alleged video because they said “investigations are still being actively worked”.
Instagram’s video facility played a role in another California-based arrest earlier this year, after a driver was accused of having live-streamed a car accident in which her younger sister died.
Obdulia Sanchez appeared in court last week, where the footage she was said to have filmed was played.
The 18-year-old faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but her lawyer said the tyres of her car were to blame.
-BBC
