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Phone eats an arrow, saves owner from attack (allegedly)

A brave mobile phone sacrificed itself to absorb an arrow from a bow attack in Australia.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
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The New South Wales police shared this photo of the arrow and the phone.

New South Wales Police

We expect a lot from our phones: communications, internet access, entertainment. A man in New South Wales in Australia seems to have discovered an extra bonus feature of his phone: the ability to stop an arrow. 

Here's the story from the New South Wales police, complete with lots of "allegedlys." On Wednesday, a 43-year-old man pulled into his driveway in the small village of Nimbin. He got out and spotted another man he knew standing outside his property line, allegedly armed with a bow and arrow. The first man whipped out his phone to snap a photo of the bow-wielding guy. 

Now here's where things get weirder. "It's alleged the man fired the arrow at the resident which pierced through the man's mobile phone causing the phone to hit him in the chin," says the police. "It left a small laceration that didn't require medical treatment."

Officers arrested the man with the bow and charged him with "intent to commit an indictable offense, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious damage."

This would sound like a tall tale, except the police posted photos on social media of the pierced phone showing the arrow tip extending out through the screen protector. It's unclear what model the phone it is, though it appears to be an Android device. 

The alleged attacker is now out on bail and is set to appear in court in April. The phone appears to be a complete loss, but its sacrifice was surely appreciated.

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