Skip to main content

iPhone 5S saves Fresno State student from getting shot by a robber

iphone 5s saves fresno state student from getting shot by a robber bullet
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Despite the supposed fragility of modern-day smartphones relative to the phones of yore, a surprisingly large number of them have successfully stopped bullets and prevented their owners from sustaining further injury or, in some cases, death. You can now count this iPhone 5S as yet another in the list, reports The Fresno Bee.

A Fresno State student was on his way home and nearly reached his front door when someone came up to him from behind and reached for the student’s laptop bag, according to Fresno police lieutenant Joe Gomez. With a black semi-automatic handgun in hand, the robber then fired one shot at the student.

Recommended Videos

From such a close range, even a non-lethal gunshot would still be capable of incurring some serious damage. Luckily for the student (relatively speaking), not only did the robber aim at the student’s leg, but the student had his iPhone 5S in his pants pocket, preventing the bullet from breaking his skin, or much else.

The student was unharmed, though the robber ran off with his laptop bag and the silver HP laptop inside it.

As previously mentioned, this student’s iPhone 5S isn’t the first phone to prevent injury or death by a gunshot, or even the first iPhone. Back in May, a British man survived a close-range shotgun blast thanks to the iPhone 5C in his breast pocket. According to the detective handling the case, were it not for the man’s iPhone, he would have died.

While not quite protecting its owner from a gunshot wound, another iPhone 5S prevented its owner’s death by protecting him from a metal bar that would have surely killed him in an incident that occurred back in June. Say what you will about how delicate modern-day phones supposedly are, they still have the capacity to save lives — literally.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Here’s how the Galaxy S25 Ultra may beat the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s display
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Every year, when new Apple iPhones are released in September, they outperform the earlier Samsung Galaxy S models. However, the iPhones will typically be overshadowed when the following year’s Galaxy S models are released a few months later. Today’s nugget about the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra aligns with this pattern.

According to Ice Universe, Samsung’s next flagship will have slimmer bezels than those of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As a result, the phone’s bezels will be smaller than those on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which will be released on Friday.

Read more
When will my iPhone get iOS 18? Here’s everything we know
Someone holding an iPhone 14 with the display turned on.

At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 keynote, the company revealed the next major iteration of iOS for your iPhone. The company's iOS 18 update is one of the most significant in years, and it has cool new features like more home screen and control center customizations, RCS support in Messages, scheduled messages, and a slew of features powered by the all-new Apple Intelligence.

At the "it's Glowtime" event, Apple announced the iPhone 16 series and finally told us when others can download iOS 18 on their supported phones.

Read more
Will my iPhone get iOS 18? Here’s every supported model
Safari website homepage in iOS 18.

Apple has released iOS 18 to the general public. First announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the iPhone update features various new features, including a customizable home screen, a revamped Control Center, and changes to first-party apps.

There’s a lot to like here, so you might wonder whether your iPhone qualifies for the update.
Which iPhone models can download iOS 18?
The iPhone 14 Plus (left) and iPhone 15 Plus Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more