Making rounds on the internet is a video apparently showing police officers rush a mechanic’s shop near Atlanta, Georgia after hearing loud, rapid banging noises. Those noises, the police thought, came from a gun, but in reality, they were produced by a modified Japanese sports coupe.
According to YouTube channel Street FX Motorsport TV, Enrique Mendoza, who owns a tuned Acura Integra, was testing his supercharged front-drive sports car when police came barging in to the shop looking for an AK-47. Here’s the video:
The YouTube channel quotes Enrique Mendoza, who lives in Georgia and who posted the video on his Facebook page on Jan. 28, writing in the clip’s description:
“I used launch control while putting my car away and the cops thought it was someone firing an ak47 and turned up with guns drawn, they were very good about the situation once they realized it was actually the car.”
The scene begins with a police officer arguing with Mendoza, saying there’s no way Mendoza could possibly not have heard the “cannons going off” just a few minutes prior. The Acura owner chuckles. After Mendoza tells officers that nobody at his location has a gun, the words “Fucking liar!” can be heard in the video, apparently coming from a policeman.
Eventually Mendoza tells the officers that the noise was probably his Integra’s “launch control” (which I assume means an anti-lag system), which Mendoza was testing prior to taking the car to “Commerce,” presumably to race at the Atlanta Dragway. After some officers show skepticism towards his claim, Mendoza hops in his car, and produces this sound:
From there, the mood gets much lighter, and both Mendoza and the police laugh off the misunderstanding.
Admittedly, I don’t have much more information on this video. YouTube channel Viralhog says it happened on Jan. 27 in Tucker, Georgia, and—though I’ve reached out to both Mendoza and local police departments—I haven’t yet been able to get any more details.
On the face of it, though, it seems that the police could have been a bit nicer to Mendoza at the onset; then again, if I were convinced that there was an assault rifle present, I’m not sure manners would be at the top of my priority list.