According to a Monday police press release, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department is investigating the vandalism of more than 140 electric scooters in the city since April.
All of the vandalism cases involved “severed brake lines,” according to the press release. The majority of the incidents took place near the “1200 block of East Broward Boulevard.”
The police department has released camera footage of Williams approaching the scooters. He appears to tamper with the scooters briefly before returning with a tool to seemingly cut the brake lines.
According to police, Williams has been charged with criminal mischief, a third-degree felony, and released on a $500 bond.
“Anyone who witnesses someone tampering with electric scooters should call 911 immediately,” Fort Lauderdale Police noted. “Additionally, anyone who finds a scooter that appears to have been tampered with should contact the vendor.”
Electric scooters have been a topic of public contention among city officials and residents. While some residents claim that they look unseemly when parked haphazardly on sidewalks, impeding pedestrians, others argue that they facilitate fast transportation, USA Today reported.
“People are just trying to find ways of getting from A to B faster,” said Rasheq Zarif, who works for a consulting company Deloitte’s mobility technology department, also noting that more than 50% of the world’s population lives in congested areas, where scooters can be an alternative to cars.
