Man stole buses, drove them on routes

[Gerald Tarrant]

If James L. Harris really did what police say he did, then I would like to award him a Happy Mutant Criminal Award certificate.
The 18-year-old is accused of stealing at least three Miami-Dade Transist buses, and driving them on their routes.

Poilice say Harris wore a Miami-Dade Transit employee uniform, did not steal the fares, and returned the buses to the depot each night.

He's been charged with three counts each of third-degree grand theft and burglary of an occupied conveyance.

Link

Also a little more information from this site

MIAMI -- Police have arrested an 18-year-old man accused of stealing at least three county buses and driving them on their routes.

James L. Harris is charged with three counts each of third-degree grand theft and burglary of an occupied conveyance, WPLG-TV reported.

The most recent theft occurred Tuesday, when he was arrested and charged.

According to Miami-Dade police, Harris would take the buses from several Miami-Dade Transit bus depots in the county and drive the buses on their routes, picking up and dropping off passengers along the way. He would then return the buses at the end of the day.

Police said Harris didn't raise any suspicion because he was dressed like a Miami-Dade Transit employee. Police said he also didn't steal any bus fare.

It was unclear why Harris allegedly stole the buses, but police are investigating whether he had help from Miami-Dade Transit employees.

Arrest him? Why aren't they giving him a job? Maybe the fact that he wants to be a transit employee has them worried about his sanity.

Even more funny (and probably unlikely but who knows) would be if he was an actual new employee and they just lost his hiring records.

[Kanastrous]

Try as I might, I don't see the harm, here.

[General Zod]

Try as I might, I don't see the harm, here.

You can't see it because nobody got hurt. He clearly doesn't have a CDL (at least none the article mentions), and without that qualification anyone driving a large vehicle like a bus with lots of distractions like noisy passengers is putting a lot of people at risk. He didn't wind up harming anyone, but it was still reckless.

[Kanastrous]

Try as I might, I don't see the harm, here.

You can't see it because nobody got hurt. He clearly doesn't have a CDL (at least none the article mentions), and without that qualification anyone driving a large vehicle like a bus with lots of distractions like noisy passengers is putting a lot of people at risk. He didn't wind up harming anyone, but it was still reckless.

Point taken, although we don't know that the guy doesn't have some degree of experience, driving large vehicles (even without formal qualification).

But, since he didn't actually do any harm...

[General Zod]

But, since he didn't actually do any harm...

Not causing any actual harm but creating an opportunity to do so is what reckless endangerment was created for.

[Zixinus]

Why the bloody hell would the guy not only steal the bus, but act as if he was an employee? I can get the first part, but the second? What the holy fuck? I am pretty sure that there is something mental with this guy.

[Kanastrous]

I wonder if mere lack of formal qualification is really enough. There's no report that what he did could be described as 'reckless driving' or 'endangerment' in the sense of running lights, excessive speed, unsafe lane changes, etcetera. Merely taking the wheel of a vehicle for which you lack operator's training, doesn't seem to me to fit the bill. And, they did not elect to charge him with reckless endangerment, either...

[Xess]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

[General Zod]

I wonder if mere lack of formal qualification is really enough. There's no report that what he did could be described as 'reckless driving' or 'endangerment' in the sense of running lights, excessive speed, unsafe lane changes, etcetera. Merely taking the wheel of a vehicle for which you lack operator's training, doesn't seem to me to fit the bill. And, they did not elect to charge him with reckless endangerment, either...

Perhaps not reckless endangerment, but there's no reason he shouldn't be given a massive fine considering the penalties for operating vehicles without CDLs that require them. No different than driving without a driver's license period, really.

[Kanastrous]

I wonder if mere lack of formal qualification is really enough. There's no report that what he did could be described as 'reckless driving' or 'endangerment' in the sense of running lights, excessive speed, unsafe lane changes, etcetera. Merely taking the wheel of a vehicle for which you lack operator's training, doesn't seem to me to fit the bill. And, they did not elect to charge him with reckless endangerment, either...

Perhaps not reckless endangerment, but there's no reason he shouldn't be given a massive fine considering the penalties for operating vehicles without CDLs that require them. No different than driving without a driver's license period, really.

That sounds reasonable.

[Vendetta]

Try as I might, I don't see the harm, here.

I would be very much surprised if the bus operator's insurance doesn't stipulate that their vehicles be operated by their employees.

When they heard about this, the people who knew what their liability would be if anything had gone wrong, even an unavoidable accident that would have happened just the same to an actual employee, would have shat bricks.

[Death from the Sea]

I wonder if mere lack of formal qualification is really enough. There's no report that what he did could be described as 'reckless driving' or 'endangerment' in the sense of running lights, excessive speed, unsafe lane changes, etcetera. Merely taking the wheel of a vehicle for which you lack operator's training, doesn't seem to me to fit the bill. And, they did not elect to charge him with reckless endangerment, either...

reckless endangerment would take a little more effort to prove than auto theft and that is probably part of why they charged him with what they did. Not because it didn't meet the requirements. Often DA's will not bother with lesser charges or charges that are going to require more proof in favor of the sure thing.

[Tanasinn]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

Not GTA4, there's no bus missions.

[Dooey Jo]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

GTA2. You can steal buses there, and if you stop at the bus stops, people get on and off as usual. Not to mention the almighty "steal bus, collect people, drive them to the Russian hotdog factory" mission

[Rye]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

Bus Simulator looks like the obvious one.

[Enigma]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

Not GTA4, there's no bus missions.

Though I do not know the name of the game but there is one which you learn how to drive various buses.

[Tinkerbell]

I agree that this story is pretty funny, but I get why he was arrested. If someone stole your car, but brought it back at the end of the day and filled your gas tank, you would still be upset that someone stole it. It's the same concept. Stealing is stealing, even if you don't cause any harm by doing it.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I agree that this story is pretty funny, but I get why he was arrested. If someone stole your car, but brought it back at the end of the day and filled your gas tank, you would still be upset that someone stole it. It's the same concept. Stealing is stealing, even if you don't cause any harm by doing it.

Actually, if a guy did that only once with my car, I might not even press charges.

[Death from the Sea]

Really it is kind of disturbing a bit, think about it from a security point of view. What kind of damage could a terrorist do with a large vehicle like a bus? especially after getting people on it... just a thought.

[Kanastrous]

Really it is kind of disturbing a bit, think about it from a security point of view. What kind of damage could a terrorist do with a large vehicle like a bus? especially after getting people on it... just a thought.

Palestinians have done it, two or three times, I think - take advantage of being in a bus' driver's seat, to drive off a cliff and take your Israeli passengers with you.

[General Zod]

Really it is kind of disturbing a bit, think about it from a security point of view. What kind of damage could a terrorist do with a large vehicle like a bus? especially after getting people on it... just a thought.

The fact that he was able to get the keys at all says a lot about the bus service's security.

[Singular Intellect]

Clearly this man has recently been made aware of the Peak Oil crisis, and therefore aggressively decided to do something about it.

[Pu-239]

Perhaps an employee felt lazy and got him to do it?

[Zixinus]

The fact that he was able to get the keys at all says a lot about the bus service's security.

He was wearing an uniform. Plus, there isn't exactly that much money in stealing buses.

[Yogi]

I wonder what video game you can blame for this guy?

This one.