Brazen Thieves In Ireland Go Over Top To Loot Store

Remains of an Irish supermarket after looters stole an
excavator during a snowstorm, knocked the building
down and looted it. 

There was a big snowstorm in Ireland last week, and some thieves really got brazen during the event.

They stole an excavtator from a snow removal crew, demolished a supermarket, and then went into the wreckage to loot the merchandise.

Geez!

Video of the event is at the bottom of this post.

According to The Guardian, eight men have been charged with theft, burglary and trespassing after going on the rampage amid Ireland's worst snowstorm in decades.

The theory these guys apparently had was emergency services were stretched thin because of the storm, so maybe they wouldn't notice the supermarket being torn down and looted.

The Guardian says this group also looted a second supermarket and vandalised and destroyed several cars. We're not sure why a snowstorm would inspire this, but whatever.

Here's the video:

Old Smokestack Tries To Kill Guy In Excavator

A smokestack collapses onto an excavator recently in Pell City Alabama.

Recently, crews in Pell City Alabama decided they needed to get rid of a derelict 158-foot tall, 2.6 million pound brick smokestack looming over the town.

They tried to take the thing down with explosives - twice. It still stood tottering and damaged, when Tim Phifer decided to finish the smokestack off by knocking it down with his excavator.

It worked!

Trouble is, the smokestack all 2.6 million pounds of it, landed on his excavator. Not good.

Luckily, he had the presense of mind to stay in the excavator rather than trying to flee. The excavator was crushed, but the protective cage surrounding him helped him hang in there.

He just suffered a couple of scratches and was totally covered in soot. But he's OK.

Here's the dramatic report from Good Morning America, partly filmed via drone. Awesome and scary (h/t) Boing Boing.