# They caught the sniper! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2002, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676 "2002-10-24T13:22:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/21 "2002-10-24T16:59:57Z")
I’m still very much surprised that this guy basically served himself up. Do many serial killers have episodes where they just “flake out” and get caught? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/22 "2002-10-24T17:14:41Z")
From the CNN link in **Asylum** ’s post: > [@](#): > > Sources told CNN Thursday that a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle was recovered from the vehicle impounded during an overnight raid that resulted in the arrests of two suspects in the Washington-area sniper case. > > Washington radio station WTOP reported that a rifle, a scope and a tripod had been recovered from the vehicle. And the Washington Post story I linked to earlier has added this: > [@](#): > > Several law enforcement sources also said the Chevrolet Caprice they were found in had been modified in some way to create a hole in the car that they could shoot through. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/23 "2002-10-24T17:15:21Z")
Bushmaster is a manufactuer in Maine. They primarily make semi-automatic AR-15 clones in dozens of variations from carbines to target and varminting models. They also make a bullpup style rifle in .223 caliber. Not sure if they have a current contract but they have supplied M-16 rifles and M-4 carbines (a short M-16) to the military. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/24 "2002-10-24T17:16:13Z")
Has there ever been a serial killer that has tried to blackmail authorities like this before? This is more like something out of Batman. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/25 "2002-10-24T17:22:17Z")
Yeah, I was expecting them to ask for it to be placed in a mailbox at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and 21st… I really want to know what the motivation of these two was. Was it the money? If so, why did they wait so long before asking for it? ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/26 "2002-10-24T17:28:25Z")
It’s a very strange case, no doubt about that. I have thought for a few days now that he/they were looking to get caught. Why, I can not say. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/27 "2002-10-24T17:29:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Was it the money? If so, why did they wait so long before asking for it? It seems like they were trying to contact authorities for a while but kept on getting blown off. It’s possible they tried to contact authorities from the beginning. The first letter apparently contained dates and times that they called the hotline and were not taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/28 "2002-10-24T17:31:03Z")
From yesterday’s stories, it sounded as if they’d been trying to get through on the tip lines for awhile, and kept on getting hung up on or not taken seriously. So they might well have asked for money earlier if those conversations had gone the way they intended. But I don’t think it was about money. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/29 "2002-10-24T17:31:38Z")
I forgot about that. But with 60,000 calls a day, they should have figured their chances of getting through that way weren’t all that great. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/30 "2002-10-24T17:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zyada \* > \*\*Has there ever been a serial killer that has tried to blackmail authorities like this before? > > This is more like something out of Batman. \*\* Well, there was the Tylenol killer years ago. I don’t know if “serial killer” would apply to him, and he tried to blackmail a company, not a government. Now, if this was the movies they would have just captured a couple of stooges while the real killer made quick in his escape. But our protagonist would be the only one not fooled and would chase the killer into the sewage system under city hall while the mayor held a self-congratulatory press conference. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/31 "2002-10-24T17:45:06Z")
I wonder if non-US news readers are confused at all about the Washington, D.C. and Washington State references. I wish the AP stories were a little clearer about which Washington they’re referring to when, especially considering that they’re nearly 3,000 miles apart! In the last three paragraphs of [this article](http://apnews.excite.com/article/20021024/D7MS2OU00.html), they jump from Tacoma, WA to a reference to a town in Maryland, “southeast of Washington” [D.C.]. Not that it’s super-important, but I think it’s amazing that this case spans such a great distance. I hope these are the snipers. I hope the 17-year-old gets tried as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/32 "2002-10-24T17:51:32Z")
Several news reports describe him as trained in **“combat support missions.”** Anyone know what this means? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/33 "2002-10-24T18:02:42Z")
Lets recap. Two guys, one ex military, are found in a car, modified with a hole to shoot out of in the trunk, and a .223 caliber rifle with a scope and tripod. The prints of the 17 year old are on one of the notes, and they have his target practice tree from when he lived in washington. Stick a fork in this one, thank goodness. I wish all the people of the region a speedy return to normalcy. ---
**Author:** ![grayhairedmomma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/47e85d/32.png) [@grayhairedmomma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grayhairedmomma)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/34 "2002-10-24T18:03:34Z")
Also, **Beadalin** , there is a Tacoma Park, MD not far from Washington, DC. That’s where I thought they were referring to for a little while instead of Tacoma, WA. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/35 "2002-10-24T18:04:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\* > > Well, there was the Tylenol killer years ago. I don’t know if “serial killer” would apply to him, and he tried to blackmail a company, not a government. > > Now, if this was the movies they would have just captured a couple of stooges while the real killer made quick in his escape. But our protagonist would be the only one not fooled and would chase the killer into the sewage system under city hall while the mayor held a self-congratulatory press conference. \*\* I decided to look this up, cause I thought that the Tylenol killer was covering up a murder. Turns out that a conman was claiming responsibility for this, but they decided he wasn’t the actual killer. And the case I was thinking of was a copycat. In fact, there were two copycats who used product tampering to cover up murders. But they believe that the original Tylenol killer has never been caught. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/36 "2002-10-24T18:07:19Z")
Nope. On the news last night they showed footage of law enforcement officers removing a presumable bullet-ridden tree stump. The announcer made it very clear they were in Washington State. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/37 "2002-10-24T18:20:45Z")
He was actually pulled over earlier in the month. The officer thought it was strange that he had Jersey plates, but a Washington license. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/38 "2002-10-24T18:22:40Z")
> [@](#): > > there is a Tacoma Park, MD not far from Washington, DC. That’s where I thought they were referring to for a little while instead of Tacoma, WA. Oh wow. Unique place-names aren’t exactly our forte, are they? It will be interesting to see how the locations figure into everything. I don’t understand it yet. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/39 "2002-10-24T18:23:14Z")
Hm, for a while I had Jersey plates and a MD license… Oh, and it’s “Takoma Park,” btw. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676/40 "2002-10-24T18:35:42Z")
Didn’t the Zodiac ask for money in return for not blowing up a school bus, or am I confusing that with the Dirty Harry film which stole the Zodiac’s gimmick? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-caught-the-sniper/133676.md?page=3)