Police: Man Steals iPhone, Leaves Woman Battered in Fake Accident Ploy

Gwinnett County police believe they have the man in custody responsible for an accident ploy that left a Lilburn woman battered, bruised and bloody.

The suspect is identified as Felipe Machado, of Lawrenceville. He is currently being held at the Gwinnett County Detention Center on various charges, including battery and robbery.

He was arrested Sunday following the attack of a Lilburn woman, who said she was on her way home from visiting a friend in Atlanta when the incident happened.

It was before 5 a.m. on Sunday (March 24), that the victim first noticed a silver car following behind her on Rockbridge Road. At times, the car was so close that the victim could not see the headlights, according to the police report.

The victim then turned left on Wydella Road and eventually pulled up to a stop sign at the intersection of Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road. That's when the silver car hit the victim's rear bumper, the report states.

The victim got out of her car to check the damage, but there wasn't any. She decided to give the young man some advice. She recalled telling the driver he had been driving too closely and needed to be more careful.

"Yes Ma'am," he said.

As the woman turned to re-enter her vehicle, the young man attacked her from behind, hit her in the face and knocked her down to the ground, the report states.

The man, who Gwinnett County police later identified as Felipe Machado, of Lawrenceville, then punched her in the face and head multiple times before stealing her cell phone, the report states. The victim also suffered a small laceration to her back.

He got back in his car, made a U-turn and headed back toward Rockbridge Road. As he was coming back in the direction of the incident, the victim said he tired to hit her with his vehicle.

Too shaken to drive home, the woman said she drove to a nearby Kroger. An employee called police. When emergency workers arrived, the woman was treated and transported to a local hospital.

Before leaving for the hospital, the victim gave police some very critical information. Her stolen cell phone, she said, was equipped with the "Find my iPhone" app.

Police logged into her Apple account and saw that the phone was on Western Hills Drive off of Norcross-Tucker Road in Norcross. Officials later determined that the location of the cell phone was that of a hotel.

A vehicle matching the description of the suspect's vehicle was located at the Norcross Days Inn, according to media reports. There police found the victim's cell phone and the suspect.

Machado was arrested that same day, and charged with felony robbery, battery and hit-and-run (failing to stop and render help). In addition, he was put on an immigration hold.

He is currently being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.

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