Alleged 'Hoodlums' Upload Search Engine Optimized Assault Footage to YouTube, Lead Police Right to Them

Sometimes, search engine optimization is not your friend. Say, for example, you upload video of your buddies assaulting someone in a grocery store, and YouTube automatically links it to the local police department's page.

There are many worrisome aspects of online privacy — or the lack thereof. But on the upside, poor privacy protections do come with certain benefits. For example, stupid criminals more often expose themselves to prosecution — and public ridicule. Yesterday, we mentioned some teenagers who broke into a man’s house, threw a party, and then threw the photos on Facebook, where the man saw them and called police.

Today we have a more violent but similar story, this time from Philadelphia. Police posted security footage of several teenagers beating up a middle-aged man inside a supermarket, only to discover the assailants had also apparently posted footage of the crime on YouTube.

At least the alleged assaulters have a firm grasp on search engine optimization…

The crime, in and of itself, is not funny. On Saturday night, a 47-year-old man was assaulted inside Franklin Mills Pathmark by four young men, unprovoked. The group kicked the man while he was down, stole his money clip (which contained $100), and ran out the door. The victim suffered cuts and a broken nose.

And here’s where things get interesting. Reports the Philadelphia Inquirer:

After Philadelphia police posted the surveillance on their official YouTube page Tuesday, spokesman Lt. Ray Evers said, calls started pouring in about a video of the same incident that showed up as a related video on YouTube. Evers said it appeared that the amateur videographer tagged or titled the brag video so similarly to the police’s version that the two were linked.

In the video that apparently was shot by one of the perpetratrors — posted Sunday with a tweet reading “Tomas, Jay and I catching wreck at Path Mart around the mills lmao. Gotta see this!” – one of the young thugs can be heard taunting the victim as the person filming and two other teens laugh.

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You Iiiidiots.

Police haven’t arrested anyone yet, but one imagines it’s only a matter of time. I wonder if the alleged culprits will tweet again, if and when they’re arrested. #Dontcuffmebro has a pretty good ring to it.

Supermarket thugs use YouTube to brag [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Earlier: This Is Why You Never, Ever Accept Facebook Friend Requests From People You Don’t Know

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