Saturday 18 June 2016

There are idiots, and then there are IDIOTS!

First a legal disclaimer. Charges have not yet been proven in court; innocent until proven guilty, blah, blah, blah.

And now to our story.

Last week our protagonist decided to go for a ride. No story there – it was the first bout of real nice weather in quite a while and lots of us were on the road that day. However, influenced no doubt by all the stupid sports bike videos flooding the interwebs, he decided to ride like an asshole, weaving in and out of traffic, speeding, and offering the finger to slower motorists as he passed. 

At least one driver managed a photo of our friend which then appeared on the front page of all the local newspapers and on numerous Facebook feeds, thus reinforcing the public’s image of motorcyclists as being irresponsible dolts who can’t become organ donors fast enough.

motorcycle-driver-final

So far so good, I guess, as being an asshole isn’t a crime.

But then he took it a step further and began waving a handgun around as he wove his way through traffic. (Note to American readers: In Canada brandishing a handgun in public is not considered some sort of faux-NRA patriotism but rather a criminal offence, and is treated pretty seriously by the authorities.) That’s when he really crossed the line.

With the various after-market accessories and distinctive decals, this particular CBR600 is pretty unique and so it wasn’t long before tips began flooding in, including several pointing to a Kijiji ad listing the bike for sale, along with the seller’s information. But the clincher was the previous owner, currently residing in Germany, who saw the photo online and contacted authorities, providing a starting point for an ownership trail that quickly led to a Mr. James Cole who is, as they say, “known to police”. He has since been arrested and I expect he may miss the rest of this riding season, at least.

It’s not known what happened to the motorist who, clearly ignoring the hands-free laws, snapped the picture that led to the arrest.

6 comments:

  1. It will come down to a case of mental illness, and he'll walk free. Or maybe it wasn't him at all, the guy was wearing a helmet, it could have been anybody...

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    1. Unfortunately we rarely find out how these cases end up. But I'm sure there will be excuses - lots of them.

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  2. There will always be those who ride like ass-hats and ruin the reputation of good motorcyclists.

    A karma boomerang should take care of him if he was indeed guilty.

    FYI - In Oregon we have a crime of "pointing a firearm". You can lawfully use one if you are defending yourself or your property and in fear of your life, but to wave one around is indeed a crime.

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    Replies
    1. Trobairitz - Interesting. Does anyone ever get charged and convicted?

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