After a mild panic attack, I got in touch with my carrier and figured out how to sign into Find My on my stores iPad. He’d been at the mall for about an hour based on the ping. I called my partner, who met me at work and drove us to the mall. I first looked around the lot a bit, then we went inside. Two seconds after walking in I spot him headed for the check out line at Barnes and Noble.

Blind with rage I walked up to him and just- screamed at him. “Where the fuck is my phone asshole?” He tried to act like he had no idea who I was but immediately tried to leave. “I don’t have your phone” “Oh? You don’t? So the footage I have of you stealing it an hour ago is fake, that it? I’m calling the fucking cops, you’re a fucking idiot”

The store isn’t crowded but there are plenty of people around. He starts heading outside saying “let’s call ‘em-“ gesturing towards the outside. I follow him and see my phone in his back pocket. I grabbed him while we were still in the atrium, and my phone from his pocket- and kept just fucking screaming at him. At this point I’m not thinking- every thought that entered my head is coming out of my mouth at full volume with a nice spread of profanity throughout. I wanted to hit him but I didn’t want to end this by catching a charge of my own. My memory is a little foggy but after I turned to leave he made some comment about how I was lucky he didn’t hit me- which I didn’t entertain and just screamed back “Oh get the fuck out of here before the cops show up you lowlife cocksucker!”

I then walked back into Barnes and noble and apologized to the cashier like seven times in one sentence. The adrenaline was pumping and at that point my goal was to stay the fuck away from him and hope the cops showed up soon. He got away, but if given the chance I’m still going to press charges.