Ever been to an auto show, sat behind the wheel of a car and noticed that shift knobs or radio controls were missing? Sometimes automakers take them out because people steal them. Not all thieves are bold enough to post their exploits online, though.
Somewhere in Chicagoland, a young troll decided to wake up, make his way to the Chicago Auto Show, check out some Mustangs at the Ford display, swipe the shift knob from a Shelby and tell everyone in the Chicagoland Petrolheads and Car Spotters group all about it.
"Found these in a couple cars at the auto show...MINE MINE MINE," he wrote.
Our troll turned out to be a novice troll, as he was swiftly taken to task by the community who raided his Facebook page, assaulted him with messages, made a hashtag out of his name and made memes out of his photos (like this one below):
After the youngster was lambasted, he apparently added an "r" to his surname and waved the white flag:
Many of you are demanding an apology from me for not returning the shift knob and emblem I found to the Ford booth at the auto show yesterday. I have taken a trip down to the Palatine police station to make them aware that the shift knob is in my possession and they will be contacting me if someone can claim ownership before Thursday February 13 2014 in which case it will be returned to the Ford booth. In the meantime, you all will get your apology once...
1.) All of the pictures of me are taken down
2.) Every single people who has been messaging me and harassing me has apologized for their actions.
He deleted all his posts but not before some intrepid screengrabbers got the evidence. He's still being made an example of in subsequent posts to the group.
Let this be a lesson in trollage: Own your trolling, have security measures in place before your trolling, and have thicker skin for trolling. Meanwhile, the fate of the shift knob is still unknown at this point.
UPDATE: We hear from a source all items have been returned without any incident or charges.