Live Stream Paintball Attack On Road Crew Grabs Detroit Cops' Attention

DETROIT, MI — Everyone is a star in a world gone giddy over Facebook Live. The latest leading man on the mini screen is a 22-year-old Detroiter who live streamed a video of himself firing a paintball gun at road construction workers on Detroit’s west side, police said. He's seen on the video yukking it up all the way, laughing and slamming the road crew while the driver apparently rolled a joint. In the back seat is a baby girl in her car seat.

The 22-year-old, a passenger in the car, is not being charged because no one from the paintball-besieged road crew called 911, police said. However, after the Detroit Police Department's cyber crimes division analyzed the video and identified him, he was arrested on outstanding traffic warrants, WDIV-TV reported.

The accused paintballer did warn the crew, according to the video, telling workers in the area of Interstate 75 and Outer Drive: “Out here on Outer, be careful if you're taking too long.” The driver can be heard on the video saying, “Rolling a fat doobie.” (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Detroit Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, like us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Police told WDIV that the man wanted as many people as possible to see the paintball spree video. When the television station showed the video to the road crew, one of the workers said such stunts create dangerous situations for construction crews.

“That’s not — not good at all,” one of them said.

Parts of the Facebook Live video can be seen on the WDIV report.

Photo by Maria Fernanda Aristizabal M. via Flickr Commons