This Is What Happens When You Steal Serena Williams’ Phone

Spoiler: It’s not pretty. 

Snatching someone’s phone off a restaurant table is a bad idea. It makes you a bad person and it could get you in legal trouble.

Snatching Serena Williams’ phone off a restaurant table is an even worse idea. Because in addition to the above, she’ll chase you down, embarrass you, and make you give it back.

That’s how it went down on Tuesday, November 3rd, when Williams was enjoying some Chinese food and noticed a shady character standing next to her table. Her phone, she writes on Facebook, was sitting on a chair and before she could say “General Tso’s chicken,” the thief snatched it and started running. Take it away Serena:

I jumped up, weaved my way in and out of the cozy restaurant (leaping over a chair or two) and chased him down.

He began to run but I was too fast. (Those sprints came in handy) I was upon him in a flash!

In the most menacing yet calm no nonsense voice I could muster I kindly asked him if he “accidentally” took the wrong phone. He stumbled on his words probably not expecting this to happen. While he was thinking of the right thing to say and eventually he said “Gosh you know what I did! It was so confusing in there. I must have grabbed the wrong phone.”

So many things to praise Serena for here, from here bravery to her athleticism. But let’s focus on the mercy she showed the phone snatcher. She could have easily strapped him to a chair and hit a tennis ball through his skull. But instead, she let him live. What a woman.

Photos by Jewel Samada / AFP / Getty Images