Spring2021_SSCWN_web

Darwin
DARWIN at
the
CARWASH
The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators
(and the readers of SSCWN) with these mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary
-- stories of Darwins Caught on Camera. Images of these criminals and/or their vehicles were given
to police and the press. Many have been caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.
How is this for a tongue twister? Tucker of Truckee totaled
a Toyota Tacoma truck.
It’s not as family-friendly as Sally Sells Seashells, but it is twisty nonetheless.
So, here’s the full story: A man named Tucker Andrews, of Truckee, California,
is suspected of vandalizing the Surf Thru Car Wash car wash early in the morning
on April 8 in Chico, California, according to the Chico Enterprise-Record.
Chico police officers were called over a report “of a suspicious person on the
hood of a pickup truck,” the story stated. The officers arrived around 5:40 a.m.
and reported that a suspect had been there kicking out the windshield of a white
Toyota Tacoma.
A person also flagged down the officers and said the driver had just vandalized
the Surf Thru Car Wash.
“Officers responded to the car wash and discovered damage to the metal
rollup doors. Officers believed the pickup drove through the rollup door on
the west-side of the carwash and out through the rollup door on the east-side
of the carwash. Several thousands of dollars’ worth of damage was caused in
the process,” police said according to the story.
Officers were then able to look at surveillance footage and released recovered
video of a man they suspected of committing the crime. An hour or so
later, police located the pickup truck and Andrews was arrested.
Does anyone remember the story of the Butt Crack Bandits?
If you do not, it’s from Christmas 2019.
Two thieves in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gained notoriety and the nickname, “The
Butt Crack Bandits,” after car wash footage showed one of the two thieves repeatedly
readjusting his pants as they slipped down, exposing a bare posterior.
Well, this next story is a worthy additional to the “Criminals’ Body Parts Exposed”
Hall of Fame. Last November, in Adelaide, South Australia, two men
unsuccessfully tried to remove an ATM machine using a drill. A statement
from police read, ‘They were unsuccessful on their first attempt, so they used
a white Peugeot 206 sedan with fake number plates and rammed the machine
until it became dislodged. They placed the pay machine into the rear of the
vehicle and drove off.’
Police added that the empty pay machine was found hours later. Footage
shows one of the men wearing a cap, a surgical mask, black jeans, a black
t-shirt and thongs. But that’s not all. The second man’s shorts fell down during
the heist exposing his backside to the camera. The suspects have not yet been
caught, but police are hoping the public will help identifying them thanks to
the car wash footage.
If anyone is driving through Sand Springs, Oklahoma,
can you visit the Apollo Car Wash and give the
poor owner a thumbs up or something. Or a hug?
Or, better yet, if the owner is reading this, reach out to me and I will
personally send you a batch of my famous “Tough Times Call for Tough
Cookies” cookies. You gotta feel somewhat badly for Brent Burns, first the
main water line froze up in February after a harsh winter storm, and then
things warmed up and customers wanted to wash their cars, the line still
had not thawed. On top of that, when things started to get better for his
business, a man stole not only one of his change boxes, but ruined one if his
bay walls. According to 2 NBC, car wash video surveillance shows a white
truck enter the second vehicle bay just before 4 a.m. “The driver wore a
reflective vest and black ski mask and hooked a chain around the change
box. On the third try, he rips the box from the wall with his truck. A large
portion of the wall tore away with the box,” the story said.
After thieves broke into his equipment office from the roof of Apollo
three years ago, Brent Burns spent a good amount of money on upgrades,
including LED lights and cameras mounted in each bay. Thankfully, footage
from one of the bays will hopefully help in catching the culprit and
truck has already been located.
“It’s the life of a car wash owner,” he said.
The good news is that the damage will not stop him from getting the
wash bay up and running again soon. Plus, let’s not forget about my
promised batch of cookies!
62 • SPRING 2021