Image via Fox 5 New York/YouTube
New York City made a strong statement last week by filming the destruction of dozens of illegal mopeds and scooters. Some might think it’s a shocking display of violence, but authorities argue it’s a small step towards returning law and order to the Big Apple.
Watch a guy destroy his car as it gets repossessed.
Just like what we’ve seen in countries like Brazil for some time, criminals in New York City are using highly maneuverable two-wheeled vehicles to pull off brazen robberies, including in daylight hours. They often drive right up onto the sidewalk, the rider not even dismounting, before grabbing purses, chains, cellphones, or whatever other valuables they see.
Sometimes, the two-wheeled vehicles are used to commit violent offenses like murders and drive-by shootings. There’s little wonder authorities in the Big Apple have declared all out war on them.
It wasn’t that long ago these types of vehicles, plus dirt bikes and ATVs were called a menace for doing takeover events and shutting sections of public roads down. Now it seems since that problem wasn’t snuffed out we’re dealing with a more pernicious evolution of that scheme.
One thing that does change the whole dynamic is the gross number of these types of vehicles police seize. NYPD claims it took 41,000 of them in the last two years alone. While the Big Apple has plenty of people, that’s still a ton.
These two-wheeled vehicles aren’t registered, hence why they’re called illegal. Thieves love the maneuverability of them, allowing for a quick getaway and the ability to quickly travel where most cops can’t, unless they’re on a bicycle or on foot.
Normally, we’re not big on governments seizing and destroying property like this, especially when they film it and send the footage to media so it can be splashed around. But in this case we’re a little more onboard. We’ve seen how bad things are getting in NYC and it’s beyond time something is done about it.
Image via Fox 5 New York/YouTube
