Google Street View Photographs Robbers in the Act

A Google street view camera snapped photos of 2 men moments before they assaulted and robbed a teen of £140 ($232 US) and his cellular phone in the Netherlands.

The victim, a 14 year old boy from Groningen, a town 110 miles north-east of Amsterdam, discovered the photo of himself on Google’s street view and realized it also showed his two attackers preparing to rob him. The boy went to police, who had previously been unsuccessful in solving the case and showed them the photo.

The police requested the original photo from Google, the one without the faces blurred. Goolge sent them the photo and one detective recognized one of the attackers right away. Prosecutors will now need to decided if the photos give them enough evidence to arrest the two men.

Paul Eidanus, a police spokesman from Groningen, says he’s pretty sure this case is the first time Google Street View images have been used in a Dutch criminal investigation.

“For us, it is unique. This photo could provide an important contribution to solving the crime.”