South African skateboarder sought for reckless driving after downhill speed run ends up on YouTube

 

Skateboarders are sure to be impressed when they view footage of Decio Lourenco's recent dash down a steep mountain road in Cape Town, South Africa.

But police are not impressed after watching the YouTube video and, in fact, would like to arrest the skateboarder for reckless driving and, presumably, for breaking the speed limit.

During Lourenco's run down Kloof Nek Rd., he attained a speed of 110 kilometers, or 68 mph, in a 60-kilometer zone.

"We've handed over the matter to traffic officials and want him arrested," JP Smith, the Cape Town official in charge of safety and security, told Reuters on Thursday. "The speed limit is irrelevant. He is seen careening down the road in a reckless and dangerous manner."

The video, titled, "Spoofing the Traffic Camera--Longboarding without Limits," has garnered more than 212,000 views since it was uploaded on Jan. 26.

Check out his run and feel free to offer an opinion.

As for the local skate community, it was not pleased to learn that the police were seeking one of the country's most well-known  skateboarders.

States a post on South Africa's National Skate Collective Facebook page: "The City is trying to shut us down. They want to arrest one of our own, Decio! What do you think we should do? Mass Action? More meetings? Keep hiding from the cops?"

Comments

[jessesToons]

That's crazy, thanks for sharing though. I've been a long boarder for years and I have never had something like this happen nor have I heard of it before. I've had to take careless driving in Calgary after a few months of getting my license but skateboarding is just different in my opinion.