This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesday a man driving a self-driving car was caught letting it drive crazy, a woman stole a van with an old man inside, and in South Africa, two men tried to steal a crocodile.
Follow the jump for more of this week’s weirdest and wackiest cases from around the globe!
Seat Reclined, Brain Declined
Attention all autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle drivers: you may have a fancy car, but you’re still responsible for driving it! Take it from an Alberta man who got caught behind the wheel of a Honda Civic with his seat fully reclined, drug paraphernalia on his lap, and signs of impairment. The car was swerving all over the highway.
The police stopped the car and found two dudes inside. The driver had engaged the car’s driver-assistance technology, which apparently made him feel like he was on a rollercoaster ride rather than driving a car. Meanwhile, the passenger had a little something on him – a powder suspected to be fentanyl. Maybe he was just trying to spice up his road trip snacks.
The driver received a 24-hour driving prohibition and was charged with multiple motor vehicle infractions, including driving without due care and attention. The passenger, on the other hand, was arrested on outstanding warrants. Moral of the story: if you want to take a nap or do drugs, do it in a stationary location, not while driving an autonomous car.
Grand Theft Van: Senior Citizen Edition
Hold onto your dentures, because this is a wild one! A 38-year-old woman is in hot water after allegedly stealing a medical transportation van… with a 93-year-old man still inside!
According to the LAPD, she saw her chance when the driver got out of the van to pick up another passenger. She hopped into the driver’s seat and hit the gas, taking the elderly man along for the ride.
The cops were hot on her tail, but that didn’t stop her from driving like she was auditioning for the next Fast and Furious movie. After a wild chase, she finally stopped the van in an alley five miles away from where it was stolen.
Thankfully, the old man was reunited with his family after being checked out by the LAFD. And as for the woman? She’s now facing kidnapping charges and a bail of $125,000. Looks like her grand theft auto dreams have hit a bit of a speed bump.
Croc heist gone wrong
Three guys in South Africa were arrested for stealing a massive Nile crocodile worth $1,300 from a farm. I mean, who steals a crocodile?! These dudes, that’s who. Apparently, they used a pickup truck to haul the eight-foot-long beast from the farm, but police are scratching their heads trying to figure out how they managed to sneak it out in the first place. I mean, this isn’t some cute baby crocodile we’re talking about here—it’s a massive, dangerous predator.
When police finally found the croc, it was tied up with rope and wire in an old farmhouse. The guys had tried to hide it under a pile of branches, but obviously, that didn’t work out so well. The croc was pretty dehydrated by the time it was found, but it’s now back at the farm swimming happily in its pool.
As for why these guys stole a crocodile, police are still trying to figure that one out. Maybe they thought they could sell its body parts or something? Who knows. All we know is that these guys definitely got caught with their hands in the cookie jar (or the crocodile pit, as it were).
