High school kids/ wannabe car thieves

[johnsonian09]

So my town/ block has had some problems with teenage kids (13-15) that keep trying to get into empty cars and playing typical low level annoyance stuff.

Last night at 12:30 I caught them messing with a family members car. They ran off and hid behind my neighbors gate. So I called 911 for the break in attempt and they got away probably 45 seconds before the cops actually showed up.

I’m not gonna shoot a kid for failing to break into a car. But I’m childish enough to play with them.

Anyone ever thought about casually tossing those Air-soft grenades at those non-actually-a-threat more of a nuisance kid mischief stuff? Airsoft are toys so it shouldn’t hurt to bad. But after watching some youtube they seem pretty loud.

I think I’d get a chuckle out of hearing their response to that.


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[uscra112]

I am soooo glad I retired to a rural location where I don't have to deal with that crap.

It's wearing on the soul to have to be on the defensive all the time. Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt.

[Scrounge]

So my town/ block has had some problems with teenage kids (13-15) that keep trying to get into empty cars and playing typical low level annoyance stuff.

Last night at 12:30 I caught them messing with a family members car. They ran off and hid behind my neighbors gate. So I called 911 for the break in attempt and they got away probably 45 seconds before the cops actually showed up.

I’m not gonna shoot a kid for failing to break into a car. But I’m childish enough to play with them.

Anyone ever thought about casually tossing those Air-soft grenades at those non-actually-a-threat more of a nuisance kid mischief stuff? Airsoft are toys so it shouldn’t hurt to bad. But after watching some youtube they seem pretty loud.

I think I’d get a chuckle out of hearing their response to that.


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Since they're minors, you'd probably get in legal and neighbor trouble. Not worth the risk. I'd just set up a/some night-vision/day-vision camera(s), and get lots of video/photos of them for the cops.

[M-Tecs]

A friend of mine owned and lived in the upstairs of his duplex. The lady that he rented the ground floor was a working girl. She paid the rent on time and never was a problem. Her pimp would show up every day at around 5pm. He would honk the horn until she came out. My friend worked nights and the honking woke him up. He repeatedly told the pimp to knock it off. The pimp basically told him to pack sand.

The pimp drove a Cadillac convertible. My friend was waiting for the pimp with a slingshot and an M-40 on the second story deck. M-40's are significantly larger than M-80. The M-40 landed in and went off in the back seat of the cady. That was before cell phones. After that the pimp parked two blocks away and waited for her.

The cady didn't have a posi track differential judging from the 1/2 block long single burnout that he left peeling out.

[Winger Ed.]

A camera of some sort might do well.
They're probably kids that live nearby and would be easy to identify.

[uscra112]

Could you set a lawn sprinkler up to douse 'em?

[johnsonian09]

Legal trouble over an airsoft toy? I kinda doubt it but may as well play it safe. The sprinkler idea sounds just as good to me lol

I know they are some local kids because they were wearing the local high school hoodie. The problem is slap on the wrist and do it again next week mentality. But I figure some childish low tier prankster type fun could be had.


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[farmbif]

I would put an air tag or 2 in the car just in case. if you're thinking of shooting be sure to use shotgun forget the toys. but me I dont play games and have zero tolerance for thieves. a warning shot from a 12 gauge might have a lasting effect on those fools.
we are coming upon ginseng season here in the Appalachians and I will be doing lots of shooting in the mountain behind my house. it works

[firefly1957]

Many year ago I used a sling shot and spent shot shell primers to dissuade youth from such things Shooting the primers over their heads makes a whistling sound one group though they were being shot at with a silencer. Times were different then now the little fools would probably call the police on me rather then stay away! I also wired and alarm to one car because of gas thieves and kept the 5 gallon can for my own use that punk told the neighborhood I was crazy and kids tended to stay away from my house for the next few years .
Even though I am in the sticks now nearest neighbor 1/4 mile away I have had a few issues and have installed security cameras plus trail camera on driveway . One person who tried to get in garage was strictly on foot I came home to find part of the door jamb split however with long bolts going into a 4X6 beam and angle aluminum reinforcement the door held . This February A car pulled in the drive and looked over the house with some kind of night vision then backed out no backup , headlights or brake lights they were up to no good for sure.

A note on gas theft today while the thieves used to siphon fuel today most of our gas tanks are plastic and it is common for them to put a pan under the vehicle and drill a hole in the tank . Excess fuel often runs all over the ground creating a fire hazard. Some people have the tank replaced, threading a bolt into the hole with a good sealant can be a better fix if you do the work rather then have insurance pay the repair.

[country gent]

The sprinkler would work to startle them better would be to fill the first 3 feet of the hose with food coloring to mark them.

Years ago we had a couple kids with daddys car front yard farming. I waited one night when they hit my yard I got the white car coming in and going out with blue paint balls, About an hour later Daddy showed up complaining that they were just driving down the road I asked him how I got hits on both sides of the car and showed Him my side yard where the drove thru and spun around. Te next morning the 2 boys were here with rakes and grass seed the car cleaned and Dad watching.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

This is sure a sad commentary on the situation in our Country. Fortunately, I've experienced no trouble like that here. I live a good distance off the highway and am set back from the road quite a bit, so anyone that arrives here without an invitation is viewed with suspicion.

It's been fashionable for many years now to say, "You can't shoot thieves! Car theft isn't a crime deserving of capital punishment." It's fair to point out though, that when thieves were shot crime was much lower; and that this seems true throughout the crime spectrum, that the lack of punishment and the lack of fear of punishment breeds more crime. While I'll tiptoe around the issue of shooting thieves, I will flat out say that I'm all for summarily shooting looters and arsonists caught in the act. Gads, Martha...what a Neanderthal!

DG

[MrWolf]

Many year ago I used a sling shot and spent shot shell primers to dissuade youth from such things Shooting the primers over their heads makes a whistling sound one group though they were being shot at with a silencer. Times were different then now the little fools would probably call the police on me rather then stay away! I also wired and alarm to one car because of gas thieves and kept the 5 gallon can for my own use that punk told the neighborhood I was crazy and kids tended to stay away from my house for the next few years .
Even though I am in the sticks now nearest neighbor 1/4 mile away I have had a few issues and have installed security cameras plus trail camera on driveway . One person who tried to get in garage was strictly on foot I came home to find part of the door jamb split however with long bolts going into a 4X6 beam and angle aluminum reinforcement the door held . This February A car pulled in the drive and looked over the house with some kind of night vision then backed out no backup , headlights or brake lights they were up to no good for sure.

A note on gas theft today while the thieves used to siphon fuel today most of our gas tanks are plastic and it is common for them to put a pan under the vehicle and drill a hole in the tank . Excess fuel often runs all over the ground creating a fire hazard. Some people have the tank replaced, threading a bolt into the hole with a good sealant can be a better fix if you do the work rather then have insurance pay the repair.

Back when I lived in Jersey and my daughter was younger, the boy kids would be up to their bull, ringing doorbell and stupid boy stuff thinking it impressed. They did it enough times that I waited on night and proceeded to chase them around the neighborhood, through yards and such and yelling what inwould do to them if I caught them. I was much younger than and could still move. Never did it again. Spoke to one of the kids Father's a few years later and he was laughing saying how scared they were of me and that I was nuts. It worked.

[akajun]

Quick answer, no you wont get into trouble for tossing an airsoft grenade at kids violating the law, but you may loose your life.

IN LA a "vehicle theft" as you call it even unlocked is still considered a burglary and these "kids" are not "looking for change" they are looking for guns, prescriptions, credit cards, etc because they known people are irresponsible and leave that stuff in there unlocked. Often now we're seeing that they work in teams and are often armed and "covering" the direction of the home and doorways with the gun.
Moral of the story, stop leaving valuables and firearms in your vehicles, lock your doors, and dont play with these criminals

[Recycled bullet]

Hose them down with OC some of them have big cans with big handles and you can actually aim them. Some have fluorescent dye I'd recommend one of those. Make sure you completely soak them then call the police and ask them to pick up the red-faced idiot trespassing thief.

I don't know if they're any good now but back in the day The cold steel pepper spray was a gel it was fantastic. You could buy inert cartridges so you could practice. You don't want the wind to change and get it blown back in your face!!!

[uscra112]

Food coloring. I like that.

Years ago I rented a small "hired-man's house" on a farm in Michigan. Snowmobilers were a yearly problem, knocking down fences and tearing up the lawns of the "big house". My landlord tried the paintball trick, but the State Police came after HIM.

Yet another reason I don't miss Michigan.

[uscra112]

IN LA a "vehicle theft" as you call it even unlocked is still considered a burglary and these "kids" are not "looking for change" they are looking for guns, prescriptions, credit cards, etc because they known people are irresponsible and leave that stuff in there unlocked. Often now we're seeing that they work in teams and are often armed and "covering" the direction of the home and doorways with the gun.
Moral of the story, stop leaving valuables and firearms in your vehicles, lock your doors, and dont play with these criminals

The last time I lived in a city, (college in the 1960s), the drill was to leave your car empty of valuables, but unlocked so they wouldn't break the windows. You even took the radio/tape deck out and brought it inside. I drove a "junker" out of poverty in those days, but even so I had a hideout switch for the ignition, disguised as the on-off button for the A/C, (which didn't work anyway, so....) Some people even put a sign on the car saying "no radio". Cars had retractable radio antennas. I even saw one guy (gal?) on my street who removed the windshield wipers.

This was over 50 tears ago.

[Bmi48219]

I wonder if connecting a hot wire fence transformer to the car frame would damage the vehicle’s electronics?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

So my town/ block has had some problems with teenage kids (13-15) that keep trying to get into empty cars and playing typical low level annoyance stuff.

Last night at 12:30 I caught them messing with a family members car. They ran off and hid behind my neighbors gate. So I called 911 for the break in attempt and they got away probably 45 seconds before the cops actually showed up.

I’m not gonna shoot a kid for failing to break into a car. But I’m childish enough to play with them.

Anyone ever thought about casually tossing those Air-soft grenades at those non-actually-a-threat more of a nuisance kid mischief stuff? Airsoft are toys so it shouldn’t hurt to bad. But after watching some youtube they seem pretty loud.

I think I’d get a chuckle out of hearing their response to that.


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I'm not sure where you are living, but car theft is serious trouble in some places.
I would not recommend being "childish enough to play with them."

Jul 22, 2023 — About 4700 vehicles were reported stolen across Minneapolis so far this year, averaging 24 a day — a 70% increase from this time last year.

https://www.startribune.com/as-st-pa...rge/600291477/

These ferral youths will shoot you

May 8, 2023 — Michael Brasel, 44, was shot in front of his own home as he confronted someone trying to steal a car on Saturday morning in the St. Anthony.

https://www.fox9.com/news/st-paul-ma...nt-of-his-home

May 10, 2023 --- 17-year-old arrested in killing of St. Paul man (Michael Brasel) who interrupted theft outside home

https://www.twincities.com/2023/05/1...ng-st-paul-mn/

[Bmi48219]

Assuming a thief has to open the vehicle door to get at the contents, what about attaching one (or more) of those old firecracker-type things with the strings sticking out both ends, to the door and door frame? The ones where pulling the strings causes a small charge to explode.

[Scrounge]

Assuming a thief has to open the vehicle door to get at the contents, what about attaching one (or more) of those old firecracker-type things with the strings sticking out both ends, to the door and door frame? The ones where pulling the strings causes a small charge to explode.

Got news for you guys. The world we grew up in is gone. They have kindergarteners shooting people with serious intent now. Used to be a teacher here locally. One of my students made the news wanted for murder. Kid was in 8th or 9th grade. Already had the tear tattoo when he was in my class in 2006 or 2007, whenever it was.