- Dec 25, 2017
- 1,655
- 1
- 1,076
- 113
- Luke_Marcello
CRIMES WEEKLY #1 - GRAND THEFT AUTO
A periodic publication, regarding crimes in Los Santos
A SAN News article
A periodic publication, regarding crimes in Los Santos
A SAN News article
Date: 01/09/2018
Tags: Crime, Information, Daily life
Disclaimer: The makers and publishers of this periodical article do NOT in any way endorse, encourage, and condone this kind of behaviour.
Preface
Los Santos has recently hit 4 million citizens. This would normally be a great news for sectors like employment and the economy, but unfortunately, there are downsides. And the rising crime-wave is the most important one of those.
What constitutes a crime?
"A crime is an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law" [1]
This is the general and universal definition, when one turns to a dictionary.
But what is a crime and what isn't a crime?
The best answer is the Penal Code, a piece of legal writing that exhaustively explains what actions can lead you to the arrest or a fine, and also what action citizens must take when encountering crime.
Performing an action which is not allowed by the Penal Code is, obviously, illegal. But failing to perform an action that you are obliged to (e.g helping an injured civilian) can can also lead to legal ramifications.
In this periodical investigation, we seek to showcase some the most significant criminal actions, to raise awareness and keep our citizenry informed.
Carjacking - Grand theft auto
One of the most committed crimes (not only in Los Santos but worldwide) is carjacking. It is a portmanteau between the words ''car'' and ''hijack'', the latter word being coined in the early 40ies to describe the illegal commandeering of planes. Put together, carjacking literally means ''to illegally commandeer a car'' . In the legal and judicial world, it has been filed under the term(s) grand theft auto and motor vehicle theft.
In general terms, it is not an extremely common occurrence - FBI statistics report that approximately 229 vehicles get stolen per 100000 inhabitants, and the number of incidents is in overall decline [2]. However, this does not take away from its significance, as loss of a personal due to theft is extremely inconveniencing and costly; many of these vehicles are never even found, as professionals strip them part-by-part and sell them on the black market. Civilians losing their car have to replace it out of their own pocket, as many do not have theft insurance.
Circumstances of Carjacking
These are the most common circumstances under which a carjacking takes place -
- The carjacker hits a victim's car. When the target gets out to assess and check the damage, the carjacker steals the victim's car and runs away.
- The carjacker hits a wall simulating an accident, and steals a car that stops to assist
- A carjacker gets their victim's attention they are while inside the car, indicating a problem outside of the vehicle. He then steals the car as the ''mark'' has exited to investigate the alleged problem.
- The carjacker follows the victim while in his car, stealing it when he gets home or exits the vehicle for a long period of time.
Preventing and responding to carjacking
The first thing to do if your car gets stolen is to call 911. The Police will handle the crime. You will need to know the vehicle registration and the license plate in order to try to get the car back in the shortest time possible.
If they are stealing the car in front of your eyes, you can follow 2 different paths:
- Give up the vehicle and find the first possible place to call 911. This is the most safe way to deal with the crime. The Police will most likely to help you as soon as possible. Newer generation cars can also be tracked by GPS and other technologies that can disadvantage the hijackers, so if your car is new, this is highly recommended.
- Fighting the hijacker. Even though it's a dangerous alternative, you can try to fight him back. Take any firearms or sharp objects around you (ex. your car keys), and try to threaten him. If he's not intimidated or backs out, the state law allows you to defend yourself with the weapon, so you can shoot, or stab, or hit the thief. Your right of defense, however, doesn't apply if he becomes intimidated, surrenders and/or hasn't got a firearm at your same level (ex. shooting with a carjacker with a handgun if he is only armed with a pair of brass knuckles)
- Always lock your car and roll up the windows.
- Avoid leaving you car in high-crime areas and unfamiliar areas.
- Install a GPS tracker.
- Alert the police whenever you suspect that there is a carjacker near you.
- (If you are in a traffic jam) leave some space between your car and the car in front of you.
Photo documentation
Lastly, we assembled a team of people to photographically recreate what a standard case of grand theft auto might look like, in hopes of increasing public safety awareness.
Disclaimer: The people in the following photographs are paid actors. Do not attempt to imitate the actions presented.
Classical procedure of a carjack. The carjacker simulates a car problem, the victims goes out to check, the carjacker flees away (Photo: Luke Cavazzer). [4]
Credits and Mentions
[1] Oxford dictionary definition.
[2] FBI statistics for Motor Vehicle theft (web: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/property-crime/motor-vehicle-theft , 2018 archive)
Special thanks to the actors Hlias P Lucille and Micheal Delorean [3], Juan V Burn and Moatasim Hero [4]. Thanks again to the above mentioned actors for the cars, necessary part of the article.
