Caltrops on South Shore roads causing dozens of flat tires
Submitted by paula on Wed, 12/07/2016 - 1:52am
South Lake Tahoe local Monika Taboada was picking her daughter up from the training room at South Tahoe High on Sunday when she received a flat on one of her new snow tires, leaving her the victim of another "Ninja Road Star" being left on roads around town.
Over the past several months there have been dozens of stories just like Taboada's.
At Ken's Tires in South Lake Tahoe, employees said they've seen at least a dozen flat tires caused by the device that is also known as a caltrops. Their customers have picked up the sharp devices on Pioneer Trail and at the high school, and on Tuesday afternoon a car was being towed in after receiving flat tires by Regan Beach.
The story over at Lily's is similar. They had nine victims in on Saturday, five Monday and two on Tuesday. Over the past two months they have seen at least one customer a day with a tire flattened by a caltrops, the first being a truck from South Tahoe Public Utility District on September 19.
Les Schwab customers have been coming into their South Lake Tahoe store with the same story. They said they've seen at least 40 people in the last month with flattened tires from the devices. Most have been able to be patched though some tires have had to be replaced.
Both South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office have received calls about the devices. The culprit is spreading them all over town, from Pioneer Trail and Montgomery Estates to Stateline and over to the Y.
SLTPD Lt. Brian Williams said the devices left on roadways are non-violent crimes, an "entry type of vandalism" which can usually be associated with youth, but in these cases there are no suspects.
EDSO Sgt. Michael Seligsohn said on November 15, a motorist reported running over the caltrop device at the intersection of Pioneer Trail and Black Bart, resulting in two damaged tires. One of their deputies diligently checked the area to locate and remove devices. He ended up finding one near Ormsby and Black Bart.
The "Ninja Road Stars" are sold at many stores, including Wal-Mart and on Amazon.com. The cost is relatively low ($4.95/10-pack) but the damage they leave behind hurts the wallet of innocent victims. It is a felony to possess the devices.
Caltrops were initially used as an antipersonnel weapon. They ar made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upward from a stable base. Caltrops were part of defenses that served to slow the advance of horses, war elephants, and human troops historically, and are now sold to "flatten tires."
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