"ghetto wheels" hazardous to one's health

[tom h]

Just crazy.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-onthelaw25jul25,1,1153242.story?coll=la-headlines-california

Pricey Wheels Can Be a Dangerous Obsession

Fancy car rims, which can cost thousands per set, are a tempting target for thieves. Some owners have been killed for them.

Fancy after-market car rims are the newest example of flashy conspicuous consumption.

And the desire for a nice set of wheels, which has spread from hip-hop artists and sports stars to suburban SUV drivers, has spawned a whole new wave of thievery.

... Three men now sit in Los Angeles County Jail facing capital murder charges for allegedly shooting to death the 25-year-old Long Beach man on a Hollywood street May 19 for his Lexus and its set of sparkling, spinning wheels... A nice set of these wheels, known as spinners because they continue to spin after the car stops, can cost about $11,500.

...An off-duty sheriff's deputy was shot and killed in Florida in April when he interrupted thieves stealing the flashy rims off a $70,000 Cadillac SUV at a dealership.

...That same month, a 23-year-old man was gunned down for his $3,400 rims in St. Louis County, Mo.

... Three young men in Augusta, Ga., stole a woman's 2001 Honda Civic and kidnapped and raped her last August because, they told investigators, they liked her rims.

... Sometimes it's the rim thieves who lose their lives. This spring, a college student was shot to death in Sacramento by a guard when he tried to steal the gold-plated Dayton rims off a Cadillac Escalade.

 

[Little6pack]

Lucky for us here in NH that wave of crazy rims has not hit yet.

Those west coast trends hit us about 4 years later

I actually did see a pair of spinners. Dam near scared me as I thought the car was moving into the intersection I was going through.

 

[TwoLaneBlackTop]

wow, lots of dumb people in this world.

Least I dont have to worry about getting my 35 buck a peice circle track steel wheels stold.

 

[TRBON8R]

$11,500 for a set of wheels!!?!! Gee and to think I was all bitter after having to spend 600 bucks on a set of Welds!

 

[commiepunk]

Originally posted by tom h
Just crazy.


...An off-duty sheriff's deputy was shot and killed in Florida in April when he interrupted thieves stealing the flashy rims off a $70,000 Cadillac SUV at a dealership.

i went to his funeral, it was really sad. Happened a block from where i work.

 

[WakkoSS]

Re: Re: "ghetto wheels" hazardous to one's health

Originally posted by commiepunk
i went to his funeral, it was really sad. Happened a block from where i work.

I was there as well. Phillip Billings was a good man.

 

[EFFNQWKWE4]

The "spinning wheels", Spin-Tek or Spreewells, can go for as much as $18,000 for a set of 24 inch wheels.....That doesn't include the tires, fellas! Don't think I'd ever own a set, even if I had the cash, but they look pretty freakin' cool in action.