Brandon Smith charged with third-degree assault in pinky-shredding iPad theft

Most snatch-and-grab crimes don't get nearly as much attention as the one Brandon Smith is accused of committing at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center earlier this month. But he made national news because his alleged attempt to steal a trendy new iPad resulted in part of victim Bill Jordan's pinky...

By Michael Roberts

April 28, 2010

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Most snatch-and-grab crimes don't get nearly as much attention as the one Brandon Smith is accused of committing at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center earlier this month.

But he made national news because his alleged attempt to steal a trendy new iPad resulted in part of victim Bill Jordan's pinky being torn off.

That explains why James is facing two just-announced charges from the Denver District Attorney's Office -- robbery and third-degree assault.

No doubt Jordan would have preferred to give Smith a different kind of finger. More details from the DA's office are below:

CHARGES FILED IN IPAD ROBBERY

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey has formally charged a man accused of injuring a man and stealing his newly purchased iPad two weeks ago.

Brandon Smith (08-18-89) is charged with robbery (F4) and third-degree assault (M).

The charges allege that on April 15, 2010, Smith grabbed a bag containing an iPad from a man who had just purchased it from an Apple store. The bag was wrapped around the victim's hand, and the charges further allege that as Smith grabbed the bag there was enough force to tear away the skin from the pinky finger of the left hand.

Smith was later identified as a suspect by the Denver Police Department and was taken into custody at his home without incident on April 24, 2010.

He remains in custody in the Denver County Jail; his bond is set at $200,000. He is scheduled to appear in Denver County Courtroom 472 to be advised of the charges on Friday, April 30, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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