Here’s a lesson in posting about automotive activities online…
Some members of law enforcement have a real problem with car culture. YouTuber effspot experienced this firsthand when he was arrested at Monterey Car Week last year, facing serious charges of street racing. What’s worse, they used his own YouTube channel content against him in an attempt to portray the guy as some vicious street racer who encouraged others to break the law. There’s a lesson here for any gearheads who have a public social media presence.
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According to effspot, he was accused of street racing after a fan wanted to hear the modified exhaust on his Mercedes S600 in real life. The fan was in a car next to him at a light, so the YouTuber opened his exhaust valves and revved the engine for the other guy, then the light turned green and they drove off, the fan filming effspot’s car. An observing cop interpreted this activity as a race, something effspot says it absolutely wasn’t.
Thankfully, at the last minute the police decided to not take the car YouTuber to jail for processing. Still, he had charges to fight and had to lawyer up. It sounds like he ultimately was able to avoid jailtime but has to pay fees and attend traffic school. We wonder how much he had to shell out in attorney’s fees as well. Nobody ever said justice was cheap.
We’re not here to bash all cops or public prosecutors. Actual street racing, especially in traffic, is reckless, irresponsible, and selfish. What concerns us is in this quest to bust street racers and people who participate in street takeovers, law enforcement is scooping up people who are only guilty of having a modified car. Anytime there’s a gathering, whether it’s Monterey Car Week or just a local meetup, police might be looking for any reason to pull you over. In other words, it might be best to drive extra cautious. Plus, if you have car social media content which is even a little rowdy, expect a prosecutor to use that against you.
Check out effspot’s story, which starts at 6:42 in the video (warning: language).
