Man 'Makes It Rain' On L.A. Freeway, Causes Traffic Jam
Who says you've got to be an enfant terrible pro athlete to make it rain? A plain old 56-year-old man Los Angeles authorities describe as "disturbed" took it upon himself to send dollar bills a-soaring on L.A.'s westbound 210 Sunday as he drove down the freeway.
Understandably, the flying cash caused a traffic jam. Since every square mile of L.A. freeway is constantly stuck in gridlock, the holdup was nothing new for Angeleno drivers. But at least for once they got a chance to step out of their cars to recover some of the funds they were burning up in their gas tanks.
The L.A. Times reports:
Los Angeles County fire officials took the man to a hospital for further evaluation, Hunt said. It was unknown how much money the man threw away. Those who stopped to pick up the bills were asked to return the money to Azusa police or to the CHP's Baldwin Park office.
I'm sure everyone who was crazy/greedy enough to leave their cars to collect free freeway cash got right on that directive to turn it into the cops.
Money thrown onto freeway jams traffic as people stop to collect cash [Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: darkmatter)
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Comments:
BLAME IT ON THE RAIIIIIIN yeahhh yeahh
But...did he slap any strippers?
I always wanted to see something like that happen.
In the novel "The Magic Christian" a rich guy fills a swimming pool with urine, shit & $100 bills & watches as people jump in for the money!
Dude gave the $ away - crazy or not, people shouldn't have to return it - now that idea is crazy!
It's a Ponzi scheme. People pick up the money, then throw it away again with some of theirs and this goes on and on. As the pyramid grows the last guy gets all the dough. Just ask Bernie Madoff. He'll tell ya.
So if you turn it in, and no one claims it in 90 days, do you get it back?
Why should anyone be obliged to give it back--the man willfully abndoned the property, he no longer owns it.
"Those who stopped to pick up the bills were asked to return the money to Azusa police or to the CHP's Baldwin Park office."
*Rolls eyes*. I guess they have to ask, right?
litter removal!
@pecan 3.14159265 (now with star power): spoiler: Except, he couldn't control the rain... It was someone else.
@aloria: Good god - if that is stuck in my head all day, I am so coming back to this thread - or hunting you down in another to put a horrible song in yours. Muahaha.
@BeFrugalNotCheap: In other news, the Azusa police department was seen last night at a local tavern having quite the party.
/s
@theblackdog: He would just have to deny ownership, and not make the claim. What are they going to do, force him to deposit it?
Did he get offered an NFL contract?
@subtlefrog:
Cops would'nt spend that money on beer and cheese fries down at the local bar or tavern, right? I'd think they'd take it down to the local shelter and give out money to the needy, or buy a down on their luck family some much needed diapers and baby food. Or is that being naive?
@subtlefrog: Would you like a different one?
HEARTS ON FIIIIIRE
STRONG DEEEESIIIIREEE
RAAAGES DEEP WITHIN
now go punch out some Russians.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: To think that the addition of waste to bills in that fashion accomplishes in minutes what naturally takes place over many many transactions as the bills are circulated.
Next time I walk into a public restroom and someone is walking out that didn't wash their hands, I will punch them. That is, if I wasn't afraid of getting whatever crazy diseases they have.
You can tell he wasn't driving the Hollywood freeway since only fistfuls of Ecstasy tablets hurled about are the only thing potent enough to stop traffic on the N-101.
I make my own money at home!
@BeFrugalNotCheap: How about returning it to the mentally unstable person who threw it. Mental institutions are probably expensive!
Well, unless and until he's ajudicated incompetent, I don't think that's relevant. Moreover, "emotionally disturbed" does not necessarily mean that he's non compos mentis. Most important--I don't think there is a duty on the part of the finder to investigate the mental state of the person who abandons goods. Even if he didn't know what he was doing, I stand by my analysis: this cash was bona vacantia, ie, up for grabs (literally, in this case.)
Now, ethically, it might be nice to return the money ... but I see no duty.
Perfect Statement LOL
Why is he crazy? Is this really that different than paying taxes to the government?
@treimel: I'm arguing ethics, not law, since I'm not sufficiently familiar with the latter; I think, though, that the situation--the multiple numbers and the comparative anonymity--makes it easier for people who wouldn't ordinarily accept stuff from somebody of questionable mind to convince themselves it's fine.
If a dotty old lady talking about her time as a zebra mussel hands me a diamond ring, I think it's scummy of me to keep my mouth shut and the jewelry. I think the difference between this example and the incident isn't actually the ethics of the transaction, it's the situation and how it allows people to keep stuff they wouldn't otherwise.
@treimel: Hey buddy, we speak American here! I don't want to hear about your boner vacations or your compost mansion.
Well,in my openion,we should have Obama picked up for evaluation also for throwing money away.He did alot more damage than a trafic jam.
@H3ion: Likely he wasn't crazy because he was throwing money out the window, but was crazy because he was mentally disturbed.
Oh, I agree--a nice person returns it, no question. Also, with the dotty old lady example, you /know/ without question what's going on. Money found on the street? Not so much. (Remember, they didn't have benefit of the article at the time.)
@Greasy Thumb Guzik: "The Magic Christian" is a fantastic movie, too!
In it, Peter Sellers plays a ridiculously rich guy who "adopts" Ringo Starr, and they spend the entire movie pulling out huge wads of cash and getting people of all walks of life to do crazy things for it. I've watched it several times and laugh my head off. It should be required viewing in high school or something, except it's so subversive that would never happen.
That "disturbed" guy should get a medal. I'm tempted to emulate him.
The headline of the article made me think of that X-files episode with the guy who can supposedly control the rain.