back to article OK, who is shooting at Apple staff buses in California? Knock it off

Over the past 45 days, a mystery sniper has been shooting the windows of 20 charter buses driving Apple staff and other geeks to work in Silicon Valley. The vehicles were shot at on Interstate 280, which runs from San Francisco down into the Valley. The situation has grown so worrisome that Apple has diverted its staff buses …

  1. LenG

    Use the Trump solution

    Arm the bus driver.

    Or go with the old stagecoach tradition and have someone ride shotgun.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Use the Trump solution

      Forget arming the bus driver. Private Bone Spurs says he'd have rushed in in the recent Florida shooting. We should take him at his word and have him drive the bus.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Use the Trump solution

      Sadly El Reg didn’t include a vital piece of information. The buses were being shot at by a *pellet gun*.

      Yes, they can do some damage. However leaving that out and implying that it’s a handgun or rifle is a little misleading.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Use the Trump solution

        They sell pellet guns in the USA? Given the easy availability of all sorts of excessively powerful ordnance, one wonders what a pellet gun's appeal is...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          A lot of young kids are given an air rifle (BB / pellet gun) as a starter. They're quite fun!

          I've also used a handheld pellet gun to take out rats in a barn.

          1. Olafthemighty

            Re: Use the Trump solution

            "handheld pellet gun"..? As opposed to the more normal truck-mounted sort?

        2. bombastic bob Silver badge
          Devil

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          " what a pellet gun's appeal is..."

          target shooting is probably #1

        3. Ian Michael Gumby
          Boffin

          @AC Re: Use the Trump solution

          Yes they sell pellet guns (air rifles and pistols).

          And while many think of them as toys, some of them are more than powerful enough to kill.

      2. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Use the Trump solution

        That's not a little bit misleading, it's grossly misleading.

        And using the word Sniper instead of schoolkid or Old Fart also changes the game. Snipers shoot to kill, whereas this is somebody who is just leaves of.

        A pellet gun might sting but it certainly won't blow a hole through your average meatbag.

        1. PNGuinn
          Stop

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          "A pellet gun might sting but it certainly won't blow a hole through your average meatbag."

          It might, however cause something more than slight damage to said meatbag's eyeball.

          Even a ricochet from an airgun pellet can blind someone. As a relative of mine found when some lads were messing about nearby.

          The sooner the plod get this guy(ess) the better.

        2. Tom 7

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          A pellet gun can easily kill someone. It wont most of the time but a shot to the eye or temple can penetrate the brain. Other 'targets' can cause death through blood loss and I dare say hitting the driver could easily kill all on board and several others too.

          I've been shot twice with an air rifle and both wounds (boootock and thigh) were about 1/2 inch deep and this was an old lever action rifle. Fucking hurt getting the pellets out (fortunately I had some dissection equipment around as my parents would have killed me just as much as the friend that shot me. However you can get air guns that run off CO2 that are an order of magnitude more powerful, and if you make your own 'shells' rather than pellets its surprising the damage they can do.

          1. Michael Strorm Silver badge

            Re: Use the Trump solution

            @Tom 7; "A pellet gun can easily kill someone"

            Two-year-old boy killed after being shot in head with air gun.

            (This is with something that was- presumably- legal in Scotland as well; I've no idea how our laws compare with the US on air/pellet guns, but I'd be gobsmacked if they were weaker).

        3. Ian Michael Gumby
          Boffin

          @Khaptain ... Re: Use the Trump solution

          You need to do a bit more homework.

          There are high pressured .35 thru .50 caliber air rifles that can send a pellet with enough force to kill someone up to 200 yrds away. You don't have to 'blow a hole' through someone to kill them.

          Do some homework before you post such garbage.

          What would happen if they hit the window and cause the driver to swerve ?

          1. Khaptain Silver badge

            Re: @Khaptain ... Use the Trump solution

            You need to do a bit more homework. - Oh really.

            "There are high pressured .35 thru .50 caliber air rifles that can send a pellet with enough force to kill

            someone up to 200 yrds away. You don't have to 'blow a hole' through someone to kill them."

            If you are willing to pay for one of those High Power Pellet Guns , it would make far more sense to buy a cheap Remington and some cheap munition.. Much cheaper, far more accurate and longer distance.. I own several hunting rifles, I know what a 308 can do...

            Do some homework before you post such garbage.

            Ditto

            I don't believe for a moment that the Pellet Kiddy had any intention of causing real damage.

            What would happen if they hit the window and cause the driver to swerve .

            I could also do that with a brick or a rock dropped from a bridge...

            Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille

      3. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Devil

        Re: Use the Trump solution

        The buses were being shot at by a *pellet gun*.

        thanks for clarification. those are typically NOT considered "firearms".

        1. Blank Reg

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          Well some are not considered firearms, while it may vary by jurisdiction, that usually only applies to air guns with a muzzle velocity below 500fps.

          Then on the other end of the scale are things like this

          www.airforceairguns.com/The-Texan-by-AirForce-Airguns-s/118.htm

          that fire a .45 caliber bullet at 1100fps. That is most definitely a firearm, without the fire.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          Atypically, the State of New Jersey considers them firearms. But, uh, yeah. That store is grossly misleading.

        3. TheRealRoland
          Stop

          Re: Use the Trump solution

          At the least the State of Illinois begs to differ. .177 pellet gun is allowed without any permit, but for a .22 pellet gun you definitely need to have a permit.

      4. Qwertius

        Re: Use the Trump solution

        If it was a Pellet gun ------- then look for a ----

        ----- Tree hugging - Chicken liberating Greenie or Democrat.

    3. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: Use the Trump solution

      "have someone ride shotgun"

      a cop?

    4. TheVogon

      Re: Use the Trump solution

      "Arm the bus driver.

      Or go with the old stagecoach tradition and have someone ride shotgun."

      Becuase thats really going to make the slightest difference from inside a vehicle so they cant tell and when you dont know where the shooter is.

      Not to mention that carrying a firearm increases your risk of dying from one.

  2. Chris King
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Who is shooting Apple staff buses in California?"

    And more importantly, who is he shooting the buses at?

    1. herman

      Re: "Who is shooting Apple staff buses in California?"

      I'd love to see the Trebuchet used to fling a bus.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Gun fire triangulation by sound

    Triangulation isn't quite the right word, since it's done by sound relative time-of-flight (circles), not so much by direction finding (angles).

    It's the one surveillance technology that's approximately 100% All Good.

    It should be installed world wide.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

      You're thinking of ShotSpotter and there isn't a chance they'll put it on 280. ShotSpotter is used in the hood and the hood alone. Now, the Oakland flatlands, I'll bet there's one on every corner.

      1. Ian Michael Gumby
        Boffin

        Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

        You're thinking of ShotSpotter and there isn't a chance they'll put it on 280. ShotSpotter is used in the hood and the hood alone. Now, the Oakland flatlands, I'll bet there's one on every corner.

        Come to Chicago. Its not just for the Hood. Its on most of the street corners these days.

    2. Gotno iShit Wantno iShit

      Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

      [I]It should be installed world wide.[/I]

      I sincerely hope nobody from google or faecbook sees that. They would soil their underwear at the though of a global net of always on microphones.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

        They would soil their underwear at the though of a global net of always on microphones.

        Like Amazon has?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

      Possibly helpful, but not in this particular case.

      The device being used here is a pellet gun, not a firearm. A pellet gun uses compressed air, there is no combustion of propellant, there is no ballistic crack (as it leaves the barrel) as it's far less than 1100ft/sec (speed of sound) therefore, no audio signature, to speak of, to be detected. It's about as likely to be detected audibly as someone getting stabbed with a knife.

      1. kain preacher

        Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

        Um want o try that again. oh and .45 is not a auiet gun and most rounds are under 1,110 fps.

        Like getting 2 rifles for the price of one! Includes .177 caliber and .22 caliber barrels. Red fiber optic front sight and green fiber optic rear (fully adjustable). The Beeman 4x32 scope will help get the most accuracy possible from the gun. Everything fits neatly inside the included soft carrying case. Velcro tie-down straps secure the barrels, gun, scope & rings to stop things from shifting during transport.

        Max velocity in .177 is 1000 fps, and in .22 it's 830 fps. You could use this rifle for plinking, small game hunting, shooting cans and just plain fun

        30 gr (15 g) FMJ, Winchester 835 ft/s (255 m/s) 356 ft⋅lbf (483 J)

        165 gr (11 g) Hydra-shok, Federal 1,060 ft/s (320 m/s) 412 ft⋅lbf (559 J)

        230 gr (15 g) FMJ, Double Tap 960 ft/s (290 m/s) 471 ft⋅lbf (639 J)

        185 gr (12 g) JHP, Underwood 1,100 ft/s (340 m/s) 497 ft⋅lbf

    4. picturethis
      Pirate

      Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

      I wonder if the offender has a cell phone on him/her.

      If so, it might be easier to collect the IEN numbers of all cell phones within the vicinity of the buses for a couple of weeks. As incidents occur, just run an analysis and see if there are any IEN numbers that are around each bus (but not on the bus) near the time of each incident - license plate readers would also help (and be effective even if the individual doesn't have a cell phone). Big Data is your "friend". Since pellet guns have a very limited range and lose power very rapidly over distance the person is probably close (my guess would almost have to be in a moving car).

      My only concern with this is that I would <hope> that LE has to get a warrant that would only allow this data to be collected for a specific period of time (or until the perpetrator is caught).

    5. Ian Michael Gumby
      Boffin

      Re: Gun fire triangulation by sound

      Shot detection is triangulation.

      However it doesn't work or work well in this situation. Depending on the air rifle, getting a sound signature is going to be difficult. On a rifle where the pellet is subsonic there isn't much of a signature.

      Even when traveling supersonic the location will be difficult to triangulate.

      Plus the stations are static and expensive.

      Want to bet that when they catch the guy/gal, the shooter will be a member of Antifa.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    > It should be installed world wide.

    Yeah, worldwide, all the way from CA to FL and from AK to TX, not forgetting HI. The whole inhabitted world needs a system to track exactly where the idiots with guns are all the time.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yeah, worldwide, all the way from CA to FL and from AK to TX, not forgetting HI. The whole inhabitted world needs a system to track exactly where the idiots with guns are all the time.

      Right here. Need any MORE hints?

    2. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Trollface

      "The whole inhabitted world needs a system to track exactly where the idiots with guns are all the time."

      and firecrackers. and cars that backfire really loud (like Uncle Buck's car in that movie from the 90's). And really loud farts.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    In a related story....

    Samsung's local executives released a statement denying they had anything to do with the attacks on Apple buses.

    "What? Us? Um...no!...I mean seriously....We would never do a thing like that....What?....That rifle in the corner?...I..um...hunt! Yeah, that's it, I'm a hunter!! Grizzly bears! Those things are totally out of control!!"

    (Mine is the Kevlar vest sitting on the bus stop bench over there.)

    1. DNTP

      Re: In a related story....

      Apple is now publicizing a formerly unreported suit against ammunition manufacturers over trademark and design issues. "Clearly a bullet is literally nothing more than four round corners glued together," said an Apple spokesperson. "However, when we sent out a demand letter requiring infringing parties to surrender their remaining inventory of bullets to our Apple Infringing Hardware Collection Buses, we did not expect at least one party to perform this action ballistically. This is obviously against the spirit of our legal demands."

  7. Blake St. Claire

    Right to Bear Arms

    > to take more direct action and is exercising their right to bear arms to make a point.

    If they were only bearing their arms this wouldn't even be a story.

    Shooting said arms at buses is not a right guaranteed by the Constitution.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Right to Bear Arms

      That seems like an oversight and I demand a constitutional amendment to enshrine my rights to shoot at Iron Wagons.

    2. Toni the terrible Bronze badge
      Joke

      Re: Right to Bear Arms

      How about the right to Arm Bears, give a Brown Bear an AK47 Today!

  8. IceC0ld

    Does any of the buses carry a W Tell Jnr on them ?

    is his dad back in practice :o)

    although the bus is a REALLY big apple now

    1. Barry Rueger

      Does any of the buses carry a W Tell Jnr on them ?

      Google failed to tell me who W Tell Jnr is. Someone connected to Will.I.am?

      1. Solmyr ibn Wali Barad

        ooh, there's even a game about Jr

        We all know the classic tale of William Tell and how he shot an apple off his son's head.. Now you can find out what happened the day after as William Tell Jr.!

        williamtelljr.com

  9. JWLong

    Stop the World,

    Apple wants to get off.

  10. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    not only Apple employee busses

    but Google ones as well.

    1. Fazal Majid

      Those buses are nondescript

      Apple, Google et al like to be discreet about them and you can’t always easily tell them apart, certainly not at highway speeds.

  11. Milton

    Nuts *and* no imagination

    Seems to fit in the same sort of crazy category with the perfect cretins who shine lasers at cockpits.

    And the lack of imagination is ... feeble. If you really want to mark your grievance against Apple buses, wouldn't you knock up a home-made EMP generator? It's a far more interesting way of expressing your hostility: a highly educational, industriously character-building project, including a productive training and learning experience, and it will give you math, design, engineering and electronic assembly skills that can only come in very handy during the next phase of your life as a long-term guest of the local correctional institution.

    PS The granny in the photo is going to get a wicked black eye from that 1911 if she pulls the trigger.

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: Nuts *and* no imagination

      PS The granny in the photo is going to get a wicked black eye from that 1911 if she pulls the trigger.

      And probably lose the remainder of her hearing as well.

    2. Eeep !

      Re: Nuts *and* no imagination

      Perhaps it's all just a scheme to reduce the cost of running the bus?

  12. Sgt_Oddball

    $10,000 reward?

    So about 2 months rent then?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quick

    Someone give him a GAU-8.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Apple's response :

    You're shooting it wrong !

  15. Toc-H-Lamp

    It’d look good on your CV though. "Previous employment includes a spell working for Apple as a rear gunner on one of their buses".

  16. Florida1920
    Facepalm

    "bait bus"

    Yes, by all means, publicize that tactic. Who's in charge of CHiP security, Jared Kushner?

    1. PhilipN Silver badge

      Re: "bait bus"

      Exactly. The cops have zero evidence and this is a desperate tactic.**

      On the other hand, I am perversely re-assured that they did NOT claim to have a record on CCTV, which would have been an almost certain outcome in the CCTV-blanketed UK.

      **Reminds me of the scene in The Milagro Beanfield War when the local sheriff played by a Ruben Blades is told to find the culprit who shipped a crate of ripe fish to the property developer’s wife as a scare tactic. His response : “What do you want me to do? Check them for fingerprints?”

    2. CraPo

      Re: "bait bus"

      Probably reverse psychology. There is no bait bus, but telling people there is may well put them off trying it again.

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

  17. Paul

    William Tell Apple turnover

    Surely if you're shooting at Apples, you should be using arrows and your name should be William Tell

  18. PhilipN Silver badge

    Into the valley

    Disappointed that El Reg’s resident music fan did not take chance to reference this track by The (aptly named) Skids.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why not use Trump buses?

    Oh right, then everyone will be shooting at them...

    Of course.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It'll be an android user...

    ...everyone knows they're all weird.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Coat

      Re: It'll be an android user...

      My eyes were tired when I read your subject - I'm now really interested in finding out what an asteroid user is.

  21. Ian Joyner Bronze badge

    Metaphor for Comments

    Seems a sad parallel to the pot shots at Apple in many of the comments on Register.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Joke

      Re: Metaphor for Comments

      Do you mean ineffectual or backup up by hot air alone?

  22. Juan Inamillion

    Anyone doubting the lethality of a 'pellet' gun.

    Very sad...

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/music-boss-horns-wife-is-shot-631154

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