Over the better part of the past decade, smartphones have taken over such a large part of our lives that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the real and the virtual. Social media sites and apps like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are now old story, with observers, industry watchers and analysts predicting live-streaming apps to be the next big thing in consumer-oriented application software over the next few years. While apps like Meerkat and Periscope had created quite a stir in the recent past, neither have quite lived up to their initial promise, so it remains to be seen how that turns out going forward, especially with Facebook starting to roll out its live video streaming service globally.
Meanwhile, even as live-streaming apps are poised to go big, good old selfies are still alive and well. That is exactly one of the takeaways from a bewildering series of events that unfurled on the streets of Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday afternoon, when two burglary suspects in a blue Mustang drove around the streets of the city apparently trying to escape the long arm of the law. Unable to shake off the news and police choppers that had been trailing them, the suspects seemed to throw in the towel after a while and just exited the Southbound 101. Thereafter, they drove into a residential neighborhood and just parked their car in a seemingly busy street, apparently waiting for the police to catch up.
As if that tame end to what was supposed to be a high-on-adrenaline, full-speed chase wasn’t weird enough, the suspects then ended up high-fiving some of the bystanders and posing for pictures. What’s more, they seemingly started snapping selfies, completely oblivious to the serious charges that are about to be filed against them by the police for suspected burglary, breaking and entering, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, grand theft auto and perhaps a whole host of felonies and misdemeanors, not to mention traffic violation charges. Already saddled with the unfortunate title of being the ‘Car Chase Capital of the World’, the city frequently witnesses high-speed chases that often end in tragedy. At least this time around, the chase ended without any bloodshed, which is something we should all be thankful for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqj58a3DRG4