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The perils of being an Uber driver: When your passengers become assholes and piss off the occupants of another car - who have a BB gun
By adamg on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 11:54am
Arlington Police report they are looking for the occupants of an SUV who apparently reacted to verbal abuse from passengers in an Uber car by shooting out the car's rear windshield with a BB gun.
Police say the action started around midnight in the rear seat of an Uber driver's 2007 Saturn Vue:
The Uber driver told police that while he was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Route 16, his passengers began to act unruly and swear at a vehicle behind him, described as Jeep-like and blue in color. When the light turned green, the vehicle began traveling alongside the Uber. The Uber driver reported that he saw four people in the vehicle, with the front passengers possibly two males, and at least one female in the back.
Eventually the vehicle got behind the Uber driver, which is when the rear window shattered. The Uber driver then pulled over onto Adams Street and the other vehicle continued westbound. As the Uber driver was calling 911, he told police that the vehicle turned around and shot BBs or pellets toward his vehicle again as it traveled eastbound on Massachusetts Avenue.
Police say neither driver nor passengers were injured.
Police Chief Frederick Ryan was not amused.
This reckless behavior could have resulted in serious injuries to the driver and his passengers, along with other operators on the road. We are thankful no one was hurt."
Police also spoke with the Uber driver's three passengers, who stated they heard several "pop" sounds, which they believed came from a BB gun or air gun. None of them recognized the people in the Jeep, and at no time did anyone see any type of gun.
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Comments
You can not shoot out a window with a 'BB' gun
, or airsoft gun for that matter. I assume they mean a pellet gun or rifle. Big difference. For some reason police (or reporters?) always refer to pellet guns, or airsoft guns, as BB guns. They're all different, and only a pellet gun or rifle could actually hurt you, or damage a window.
So...
You know the velocity and mass of every BB fired from every BB gun ever made? If so, then you also know the density of every glass variant used in vehicles?
BB guns ARE NOT high velocity
Pellet guns and rifles have a much higher fps velocity, some 800, 1000 plus fps. And the pellets are made out of lead, not plastic or tiny paintballs like BB and Airsoft. Theoretically, I suppose you could 'knock an eye out' with a BB or Airsoft, that's about it. Even if you used some kind of metal BB ammo (or Airsoft; they do make some kind of metal, not lead, probably base metal ammo), the velocity (feet per second) isn't remotely fast enough to cause a window to crack, or to really hurt anyone except maybe sting a little.
You are correct.
As someone who has been shot with a bb gun, and wasn't even the least bit injured, I'm here to say you are correct.
"velocity (feet per second) isn't remotely fast enough.."
I have a former neighbor who would share some strong words with you...as he did me after I shot out his window. It was an accident but he was beyond angry, rightfully so. The individuals in the videos below also were successful in breaking glass:
https://youtu.be/z5nqhhENcvw?t=16s
https://youtu.be/FAt4whrUV70?t=9s
actually...
There are plenty of high powered pump bb guns, and gas-powered bb pistols that will do 600 FPS easily. Not sure where you got the idea that a small metal ball can't do as much damage as a pellet, unless you yourself are the one confusing a .177 bb with the plastic projectiles an airsoft gun shoots. This is further confused by the fact that most bb guns can also load and fire pellets.
Twelve year-old me would tell you that a BB gun can very much "actually hurt you" and break a window quite easily.
Are you referring to the actual BB itself?
Many gas powered airguns will shoot metal BBs in addition to pellets, and some people generically refer to such guns and rifles as BB guns, but they aren't, they're air guns / pellet guns.
An air gun / pellet gun is considerably more powerful than a BB gun. I've never seen an sctual BB gun be able to shatter a car window, but have seen air guns easily do do. But I'll stand corrected if wrong. I'm going to check youtube. An airsoft is a toy, but they look very realistic without the orange tip, which is what makes them dangerous. And they're dirt cheap.
But could you shoot your eye out with a BB gun?
Ask Ralphie.
He should know.
Oh Ralphie.
Also broke his GLASSes if I'm not mistaken.
Ralphie broke his
glasses when he stepped on them AFTER they deflected the BB (apparently Ralphie was blind as a bat without them). However, despite what he intially thought when he fell down, he did not shoot his eye out.
Moral of the story - Don't mount a BB target on a metal sign.
College-kid wank
Most of this discussion reminds me of the sort of wank you hear from college kids who have never actually done any of the things they claim they know can be done. It being that time of year, you can hear college kids knowledgeably holding forth on every conceivable topic like how easy it is to break into cars or remove bike locks. They sure are a rambunctious bunch once they get out of the cul de sacs and onto the straightaway of Comm Ave, aren't they?
Taxis too
I would bet that taxi drivers have had to deal with situations like this, not just Uber drivers.