Boys, 10 Get Keys To Bulldozer - Do $500,000 In Damage

[matcom]

<snip>

At some point in childhood, most kids dream of operating a bulldozer, a backhoe or some other giant piece of dirt-digging construction equipment. Most fulfill their fantasy with a Tonka toy.

But for two 10-year-old Minneapolis boys, playing with big machines became a reality last weekend — and the result was destruction and a crime.

Minneapolis police said the two boys obtained keys to a big Caterpillar machine at a housing construction site in North Minneapolis and caused up to $500,000 in damage before they were caught late Sunday afternoon.

The mayhem included a construction trailer that was flattened to kindling, a 50-ton crane that was heavily damaged and a second Caterpillar machine that was flipped over and mangled. No one was injured.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/8813515.htm?1c

[GOPisEvil]

1. Someday, those two will be on a message board...

...answering a thread about the stupidest thing they ever did. It would be hard to top that story. Glad no one was hurt.

[Champ]

2. Ironically a poll was posted about this yesturday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1216761

[Renew Deal]

3. That's pretty cool.

That was my dream when I was 10.

[Demonaut]

4. what boy didnt check to see if keys were left in machines

I sure did

[Renew Deal]

6. I did.

I still do sometimes.

[matcom]

5. i lost my virginity on a bulldozer

don't ask :)

[underpants]

7. I am reminded of a party I heard about from a college professor

In a upper middle class neighborhood of Newport News Va.

Apparently the parents were out of town and in addition to a pound of flour being dumped into the aquarium (no the fish did not make it sadly) and tarring a feathering an entire room they ran out of parking spaces so some enterprising young person (age 16-18) went down to the construction site down the street, "borrowed" a backhoe and used the front end loader part to pull the yard back so people could park. They literally dropped the shovel between the hedges and the front of the house and scraped it back towards the street. True story, sorry I missed that one.