American Arrested For Shooting Traffic Camera
“WE’VE had a couple of them hit in traffic accidents,” says Knoxville Police Department Capt. Gordon Catlett. “This is the first one that’s been shot.”
The shot camera is at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Interstate 640, one of 15 camera-equipped intersections in the Tennessee city.
The supposed shooter is one Clifford E. Clark, 47. He has been charged with felony vandalism and reckless endangerment “for allegedly firing at least three rounds from a .30-06 hunting rifle at the camera, knocking it out of action”.
As the Associate Press reports: “Clark, now facing a $50 fine if convicted and loss of his rifle, refused to say anything about the incident to police, leaving the motive unclear.”
Unclear? Do you need a motive to shoot a device that stops people driving not recklessly nor without due care and attention but “too fast”. The speed camera is alright in its place, but like a gnome in a packet of crisps on a main road is not it.
And secondly, can it be that this is the first time a camera has been shot in this US region? We had imagined a gun would be the instrument of first choice for an angry motorist in the US, while we in the UK are forced to make do with angle grinders, paint and steering into one…
Posted: 28th, November 2007 | In: Reviews Comments (4) | TrackBack | Permalink
