Video of 'traffic warden' clamping police car and arguing with officer was set up by online prankster
Video of 'traffic warden' clamping police car and arguing with officer was set up by online prankste
(Reuters) - A video purportedly showing a traffic warden clamping a police car and arguing with an officer was set up and published by a notorious online prankster. Some social media users appear to believe the exchange was legitimate.
One Facebook user, whose post has been shared and viewed more than 450 and 23,000 times respectively (here), uploaded the footage alongside the caption: “Traffic warden clamps a police officer for wrong parking.”
The clip begins with what appears to be a traffic warden fastening a clamp onto the wheel of an empty police van that is parked outside a McDonald’s restaurant. The officer responsible for the vehicle then comes into shot and asks the warden to remove the clamp. The warden responds, asking: “Why am I going to take this off when you’re on a double yellow line?” A heated exchange between the pair follows, with the warden repeatedly shouting at the officer.
Comments on the post show that some social media users believe the footage is real.
One person wrote: “Traffic Warden might be right in his argument but he needs to go Anger management. When he’s in a uniform, he should be professional all times.”
Another said: “Just because you’re a Police officer, doesn’t mean you’re God.”
A third commented: “You can’t park it there even if you’ve got a badge.”
Similar posts can be found on Facebook (here, here and here), where they have amassed more than 1,270 shares and 75,600 views in total, and Twitter (here and here), and where they have been shared and viewed more than 7,800 and 1.4 million times respectively.
However, the exchange was set up – it was recorded and published by a well-known online prankster called Jarvo 69, who uploaded the video to his Facebook page. “Thank you for watching this sketch, Jarvo 69 loves bringing you the best videos on the internet for your entertainment. Jarvo 69 channels brings you sporting pranks (and) scripted dramas,” he wrote in the caption.
Likewise, his ‘About’ page on Facebook reads: “Greatest Prankster on Earth!!!!”
VERDICT
Satire. The video was set up, recorded and posted on the social media pages of a well-known internet prankster.
