The Cycle of Violence on Roads Nationwide
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1985: Los Angeles freeway shootings catch national media attention.
1986-87: Throwing a brick through a car window to grab a purse gets a name--”smash and grab.”
1988-89: Authorities note a surge in Good Samaritan assaults, in which predators victimize motorists with disabled cars--some of them sabotaged by the attackers themselves.
1990: “Bump and rob” enters law enforcement vocabulary to describe practice of bumping a victim’s car from behind; when driver gets out, robber takes car.
1990-91: Drive-by shootings by warring gang members seem to peak, especially in L.A.
1991: First wave of armed auto robberies reported in Detroit; cops dub them “carjackings.”
1992-93: High-speed auto chases become prime-time TV viewing.
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