Behind the Badge
On Oct. 23, 2016, Michael Vance began a crime spree in Oklahoma that lasted for eight days. It began with the murder of two relatives, a carjacking and the shooting of two police officers.
For over a week, Vance’s crime spree terrorized the state of Oklahoma. Residents locked their doors and armed themselves. His crimes made it look like he could turn up anywhere at any time.
To add to the drama, Vance posted a Facebook Live video of himself during the time he was fleeing the police. With his bloodstained shoulder and weapons visible, he told his audience when he was about to carjack another vehicle.
Days later, his flight ended in a shootout with law enforcement officers during which he was eventually killed. In an ironic twist, his demise was captured on police video (see video above).
This wasn’t the first time, by any means, that a criminal has used social media as a platform to reach an audience.
In August 2015, a disgruntled employee of a Virginia news station shot and killed two of his co-workers while they were live on the air. He recorded the event and posted it on social media. He later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound:
Just last week, John Pinney stole a marked Tulsa police vehicle and then proceeded to Facebook Live his escape. He sang country western songs and explained his reason for stealing the squad car. “I ain’t got nothing else to do, but ***** read books.”
After an hour-long pursuit, he was captured in front of his parents’ house and charged with a number of offenses. His adolescent antics captured thousands of views on Facebook.
Social media livestream broadcasts have created a whole new platform for hundreds of criminals to post their escapades.
Based on the number of clicks on the posts, there’s no shortage of viewers out there. Every moron is now capable of becoming an overnight media sensation.
Why do they do it? They do it for the same reason a 2-year-old has a meltdown. They want the attention.
The public’s insatiable appetite for the bizarre and unusual never seems to weary of the glut of viral postings depicting crimes in progress.
In one sense, it’s tabloid journalism without filters. The perpetrators are able to speak directly to their audiences in real time. There is no reporter or news director to filter what gets broadcast on the evening news.
I don’t have an answer for this phenomena. It’s just the way things are now. If you’re going to go down, you might as well have the world watching.
As Tulsa Police Sgt. Steve Stoltz said during an interview for News One Six, “I would encourage every criminal out there to Facebook Live their crimes so that we can catch you a lot easier and use that Facebook Live at your trial to get a better conviction.”
Joe is a retired Anaheim Police Department captain. You can reach him at jvargas@behindthebadgeoc.com.
