A Florida man has been arrested after he was caught on surveillance cutting the brake lines on a group of E-scooters.
59-year-old Randall Williams was arrested and charged with third-degree felony criminal mischief on Sunday after he was caught on surveillance footage snipping the brake lines to Fort Lauderdale’s electric scooter-share program, authorities said.
In footage released by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, it shows the suspect — wearing shorts and sandals — while severed the brake lines connected to two of the e-scooters on East Broward Boulevard. Police say they found a total of 20 electric scooters nearby with severed brake lines.
Authorities say since April 140 electric scooters have been vandalized with the brake line being severed. But those cases remain under investigation, police added.
After his arrest, Williams told the cops that “he did not want to dig himself into a grave,” NBC News reports.
Williams has since posted bail and has been released. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department notified the electric scooter vendor and say the company “proactively” removed the scooters in the area from service to avoid rider injury.
“Anyone who witnesses someone tampering with electric scooters should call 911 immediately,” the police department said. “Additionally, anyone who finds a scooter that appears to have been tampered with should contact the vendor.”