San Francisco, Apr 2 (IANS): A US man who tried to steal a truck was shot and killed by the truck owner after the thief was tracked by the owner's Apple AirTag.

US-based San Antonio police received a stolen vehicle report at around 1 p.m. from a home in the Braesview area, reports KSAT.

However, before authorities could recover the stolen truck, the owners chose to conduct their own investigation, aided by an AirTag left in the vehicle.

The truck's unidentified owners traced it down to a shopping centre on Southeast Military Drive, according to the report.

Instead of waiting for police, the truck owners decided to approach the car and confront the suspect.

While it is unclear what occurred, police believe the suspected thief may have drawn their own firearm. The owner of the car retaliated by shooting and killing the suspect while they were inside the truck, the report said.

In addition, an investigation is underway to determine whether the suspect actually had a weapon when he was attacked, or whether the suspect will face any charges over the matter.

In February, Apple's AirTag helped to track a stolen car in the US state of North Carolina.

Police were able to track down the stolen car because of the owner's AirTag inside, but the thieves then crashed it during the high-speed chase.