Rolling the dinky Mercedes-Benz city car onto its side or back panels becomes latest urban prank.
We’ve heard of cow-tipping, but car-tipping is a new one. San Francisco authorities have reported two more instances of the new pranking phenemonon, Smart car tipping. These new occurrences come after a spate of three incidents in April in the US city. Authorities in Toronto have also reported recent car-tipping activity.
Offenders have been flipping the 725kg two-seater cars onto their sides or over onto itheir rear ends. The incidents are taking place during the early morning between the hours of 1am and 9am.
One man has come forward as a witness. Brandon Michael reported seeing six to eight hooded youths group around a car, saying: “They looked like they were up to no good. And sure enough, they walk up to this Smart car right here and they all huddle around it and just lift it up and set it on its hind legs.”
The car-tipping causes structural damage and shatters the rear and front windscreen glass, rendering them undriveable when righted again. Inevitably this causes huge inconvenience and expense to the owners.
San Franscisco police have yet to make any arrests but have assured victims that any suspects will face vandalism felony charges if caught.
Back in 2009, Smart car owners in Canada and Amsterdam found themselves victims of similar tipping behaviour, which was recorded and uploaded to a public Facebook page. The page has since been taken down.
In other news, one man stuck a massive Chevy V8 in a Smart, turning it into a drag racer, while another switched the car’s 1.0l engine with a Hayabusa motorbike engine.
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