Ah, Livecopter 3, piloted by Dan Shively. Actually, we don't know who flies the chopper now, but as a young'un in Sacramento, we'd see often Dan hovering overhead and wave. Our friend Courtney called his green-and-white chopper a "flying avocado." Anyway, Livecopter 3 captured some hot 'n' heavy bait car action yesterday. We weren't aware that Sacto was using the target-mobiles to capture thieves, but we've gone on record before saying that we think it's a good idea, and it's nice to see it implemented in a hometown we often deride as backwater and provincial, despite its size and proximity to the Bay Area.
Sacto po-po types left the car in the city's slowly gentrifying Oak Park area, which, when we were a teen working rock shows at the late, lamented Guild Theatre, was one of the city's gnarlier areas. In the early '70s, it was the scene of an insane shootout between the remnants of the Black Panther Party and the federales. Still, crime hasn't entirely abated in the area, so the Sac PD left a bait car in the area and waited for a miscreant to strike. Strike said miscreant did, and the perp was easily tracked onto the freeway where he was apprehended and booked. And with Livecopter 3, you were there.
Police Chase Stolen 'Bait' Car [KCRA]
Related:
Oh, the Humanity: Canada's Bait Car Videos [Internal]