Man, 43, arrested in hunt for Michigan sniper who fired at random cars in four counties in two-week campaign of terror

• Suspect arrested in Wixom, the Detroit suburb where shootings began
• Targets in 24 incidents were mostly cars on roads near Interstate 96
  

By Graham Smith for MailOnline

Published: 12:31 EDT, 7 November 2012 | Updated: 15:47 EDT, 7 November 2012

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of being the sniper who shot at random cars in four Michigan counties in two weeks.

The 43-year-old suspect was taken into custody on Monday night in Wixom, the Detroit suburb where the shootings began.

Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth called the attacks, which wounded one person, ‘domestic terrorism’.

He said: ‘Why did he do it? I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll ever know.’

Janice Schumacher, 43, was pumping gas in Wixom when she heard that a suspect was in custody.

‘I hope this is the guy,’ said the Commerce Township resident who for the past several weeks has been using alternate routes to run personal errands and shuttle her three children to and from school

‘For weeks, I haven’t been able to breathe while driving with my kids in the car. If they finally got this guy, that would be a major relief.’

Before the arrest, clues appeared to be few – slugs and bullet fragments embedded in cars, metal casings on roadways, a simple black-and-white sketch of the shooter – a man believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s – and vague descriptions of the dark car he drove.

The crime scene where the shootings took place is 100 miles long and slices through suburbia, shopping malls and farm pastures.

Shootings have occurred during the day, at night, on weekdays and on weekends. Police say the shooter would drive along roadways and fire at vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. Only one person was wounded.

Initial reports of shootings stirred panic. Wixom schools restricted recess and other activities that would take students outdoors. Drivers avoided main thoroughfares where they might be exposed and stuck to side streets.

But police have been working hard to maintain calm. In Wixom – where ten shootings have been reported – police had special Halloween patrols to protect trick-or-treaters.

From Oakland County, northwest of Detroit, to Shiawassee County, northeast of Lansing, authorities stopped cars resembling the shooter’s vehicle. A $102,000 reward was offered.

‘I’ve always felt safe here. But this has been very shocking,’ said Karen Adams, 51, who lives one street away from the suspect.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often deemed the future of transport, with titans like Ford and Tesla racing to make them. 

But a new study reveals that ‘more macho’ men may not see this the same way, in the bizarre belief that EVs will harm their image.

Dr Michael Parent, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), claims that men who prioritise acting ‘like a real man’ are more likely to frown upon electric-powered cars. 

High-performance gasoline vehicles are instead preferred as a marker of masculinity, he says, raising an alarming and unexpected uncertainty for efforts against climate change. 

‘It wouldn’t be a main driver of climate change, but it is one more, preventable, thing that adds to the pile of issues related to climate,’ Dr Parent told MailOnline. 

‘Although the issue could be addressed through advertising, it would probably be better for education to address healthy gender role norms to reduce precarious masculinity in general.

‘That is related to a broad set of negative behaviours including sexism, homophobia, aggression, and others.’

As part of his research, Dr Parent examined the concept of ‘masculine contingency’ among 400 men living in the US.

Masculine contingency refers to the degree to which a person bases their self-worth on cultural standards of masculinity including toughness, status and anti-femininity. 

These perceptions can be real or imagined, with all participants asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements including ‘I can’t respect myself if I don’t live up to what it means to be a “real man”.’

Answers were then compared with car purchasing habits and attitudes, examining whether gas/diesel, hybrid or electric was preferred.

Almost 40 per cent of men ranked EVs as the worst option, with many of these participants also holding the most traditional ‘masculine’ views.

‘Consumer good purchase decisions are made, to a degree, with consideration toward how those purchases reflect personal identities,’ Dr Parent wrote. 

‘The prior literature has suggested that, overall, EVs may be appealing to men in terms of their fast acceleration and appeal as a technological innovation. 

‘However, among men, endorsement of masculinity contingency was linked to lowered preference for EVs.’ 

These startling results come as countless car giants are racing to develop new game-changing EVs amid heightened environmental concern against typical fuel engines.

New movements, like London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), also encourage drivers to go electric, with a £12.50 daily charge for vehicles that don’t meet emission standards.

Psychologist Louise Goddard-Crawley claims the results even have roots in human evolution and long-established ideas of dominance.

‘From an evolutionary perspective, throughout human evolution, traits associated with masculinity, such as physical strength and dominance, were advantageous for survival and reproduction,’ she told MailOnline. 

‘Traditional vehicles, with their loud engines and powerful performance, could symbolise these traits, making them more appealing to some individuals who value traditional masculinity. 

‘Electric cars, being quieter and perhaps perceived as less powerful, may be seen as deviating from these evolutionary ideals, leading to resistance among those who strongly identify with traditional gender norms.’

Despite his findings, Dr Parent acknowledges that his study is limited, suggesting there is no data to show a direct causal link between masculinity and attitudes towards EVs.

Car preferences were also based on hypotheticals and not real purchase decisions, adding to the ambiguity of results. 

‘It is likely that many men are susceptible to masculinity threats without being consciously aware of it and as such experimental research in the precarious masculinity paradigm on the topic of consumer research would be valuable,’ he wrote. 

‘In sum, this study demonstrates a link between masculinity contingency and EV-related attitudes and purchase intentions, contributing to work on masculinities and consumer choices.’

Noise pollution from cars, trains and planes can takes years off your life, study warns

• Research by the UKHSA looked at the impact of noise levels on health
• In 2018, around 100,000 years of good health were lost due to road traffic noise

By Colin Fernandez Environment Editor For The Daily Mail

Updated: 09:54 EDT, 30 June 2023

Drivers waiting to cross the Channel were treated to a supercar and classic car show over the weekend as petrolheads headed to Le Mans and back.

With the famous Le Mans 24 hour race taking place on Saturday and Sunday, thousands of British motorsport fans made the pilgrimage from the UK to France’s Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe.

That meant that passengers taking the LeShuttle service, the newly-rebranded former Eurotunnel, between England’s Folkestone and France’s Calais got to watch a parade of exotic motors as they waited to board.

An astonishing display of travelling cars were on show heading out last week and returning on Sunday evening and yesterday.

A spokesperson said: ‘This will be amongst the most expensive cargo to travel under the Channel, with many of these cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds each, and some a lot more than that.’

LeShuttle said that more than 1,000 supercar and elite sports car journeys were booked around the weekend of the race.

Among them was an array of vehicles from a Ferrari owners club that travelled on Thursday. And those fans of the Prancing Horse will have been delighted with the weekend’s events, as Ferrari AF Corse won the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary Trophy.

The legendary Italian manufacturer was making its return to the premier league of endurance racing after a 50-year absence.

And in a turn up for the story books, Ferrari marked that reappearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours – and 100 years since the race was first run – with its tenth outright victory.

This was Ferrari’s win first since 1965, with Alessandro Pier Guidi, Britain’s James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi claiming the honours in the #51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar.

It beat Toyota, Cadillac, Peugeot, Glickenhaus, Vanwall and Porsche, leading the bells to ring out in its Italian home town of Maranello to celebrate the win.

The first 12 hours of the race saw the lead change hands numerous times, with many of the 16 Hypercars on the starting grid leading at some point during the opening stages, which were affected by two heavy rain showers.

In the end, Ferrari claimed victory, with Toyota in second place and Cadillac in third. 

The centenary year at Le Mans gave British petrolheads even greater impetus to make the journey down there for the weekend festival of motorsport.

LeShuttle said that among those heading to France and back, more than 120 Ferraris were due to cross last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, along with more than 80 Aston Martins and more than 50 Lamborghinis.

Most of the exotic cars will have headed back on Sunday and Money, providing another opportunity to play Top Trumps in the queue for passport control.

Manifest lists revealed supercar spotters would also be treated to an array of other marques, including McLaren, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Maserati, Porsche, Morgan and Noble.

The wide track on many of the special cars requires the wider single deck carriages, which can accommodate 48 cars per shuttle.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often touted as an environmentally-friendly solution to the climate crisis, but one of Britain’s most famous motor enthusiasts begs to differ.  

In an article for the Guardian, actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson says electric motoring ‘doesn’t seem to be quite the environmental panacea it is claimed to be’. 

EVs are powered by lithium ions batteries which require ‘many rare earth metals’ and huge amounts of energy to manufacture, he claims, citing research from Volvo. 

Atkinson – who is vocal of his love for cars and has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering – said he feels ‘duped’ by electric vehicles and thinks ‘keeping your old petrol car may be better than buying an EV’. 

MailOnline takes a look at some of the issues and speaks to experts to see if the green reputation of EVs really has been overstated. 

By 2030, the UK government is planning to end sales of diesel and petrol cars in favour of EVs, which run on energy from a charged battery just like a smartphone.

Atkinson says this initiative is based on conclusions ‘drawn from only one part of a car’s operating life – what comes out of the exhaust pipe’.

However, David Howey, a professor of engineering science at the University of Oxford, said Atkinson’s commentary has already been ‘extensively debunked’ and has ‘received more airtime than it deserves’. 

Although greenhouse gas emissions created during the production of an EV tend to be higher due to the manufacture of lithium ion batteries, the entire lifecycle has to be considered to properly assess their green credentials compared with conventional cars, he claims.

Professor Howey cited studies to MailOnline showing that EVs have lower greenhouse gas emissions overall when compared with conventional cars, which are run by gasoline internal combustion engines. 

‘So many of the assumptions of commentaries like this are wrong,’ Professor Howey told MailOnline, citing a 2019 study in the energy journal Joule. 

‘Poor assumptions include underestimating battery lifetime, overestimating the impact of battery manufacturing, excluding the emissions associated with fuel production in conventional vehicles, and so on.’ 

A 2021 study by the International Council on Clean Transportation cited by Professor Howey found battery-powered electric vehicles have by far the lowest greenhouse gas emissions over their entire lifecycle. 

Dr Florian Knobloch, a Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, said most of Atkinson’s central arguments are ‘wrong’ and ‘questionable from a science perspective’. 

He points out that emissions from EVs are lower overall than those from petrol and diesel cars, while EV batteries themselves are more efficient at actually ‘making the car move’ compared with a tank of gasoline. 

He also questioned Atkinson’s suggestion that vehicles run on hydrogen or synthetic fuels would make a better alternative to EVs. 

Professor Howey also disagreed with Atkinson’s claim that lithium ion batteries contain rare earth elements. 

‘It’s a strange thing to say in relation to lithium-ion batteries since they don’t have rare-earth elements in them,’ he told MailOnline.

‘A key rare-earth for EVs is neodymium, which is used in the magnets in some types of electric motor; however, it is possible to make electric motors without rare earths.’

Tom Stacey, an automotive industry expert at Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Economics, agreed there are no rare earth metals used in EV batteries, which instead use lithium, aluminium, nickel, manganese and cobalt. 

‘The rare earths are a collection of non-abundant metals, of which there are some in the magnets of many electric motors, but none in the batteries of EVs,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘The best selling EV in the UK now has no cobalt in its battery, and most manufacturers will phase it out over the next few years.’ 

Stacey also questioned the comedian’s source – a report from Volvo based on figures from the now obsolete New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), a lab-based test designed to assess emission levels of car engines. 

‘I think it was shame that the basis for a lot of his evidence that older internal combustion vehicles are in some way greener over their life span than EVs is the report from Volvo,’ Stacey told MailOnline. 

‘NEDC figures are unrealistic of real world use due to being conducted in a lab – therefore they are a comparator, not a reflection of real world emissions.’

Just like any emerging technology, the transition to EVs is not without issues – not just the race to rollout charging infrastructure. 

There are also concerns with the public about running out of charge during journeys, although research is looking at ways to prevent this. 

Electric vehicles also don’t combat the issue of tyre wear, which causes tiny particles of rubber invisible to the naked eye that can enter our lungs. 

In fact, rubber particle pollution could end up worse in EVs, as their tyres press harder against the road due to the vast weight of lithium ion batteries. 

Anders Hammer Strømman, a professor of the Industrial Ecology Programme at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said there’s still a bit of work to do’ to make lithium ion batteries greener, which appears to be Atkinson’s main issue. 

‘Manufacturing of EV batteries does use resources and does cause pollution – and we need to work to bring that further down,’ Professor Strømman told MailOnline. 

‘The production footprint of electric vehicles are today generally higher than conventional cars, but it has come down over the years. 

‘But over the lifetime – and especially in the areas where there’s low carbon footprint from the electricity generation – you will have a good benefit from switching to electric vehicles.’ 

Technologies such as autonomous driving, nanotech screens and augmented reality are poised to reshape the cars we drive, experts have told DailyMail.com.

They predict we won’t approach cars armed with keys and rely on the satnav — cars will come to us, plugged into our daily routines and ready to entertain us.

Humanoid AI avatars will know what we want in advance and steer us to our destinations in cars powered by electricity or hydrogen. Technologies such as ‘full’ autonomous driving — a car that is aware and capable of making its own choices —and flying vehicles will reshape the cities around us.

DailyMail.com used the popular AI art generator Midjourney to create images of what the cars, car interiors and roads of the future might look like based on these predictions.

Autonomous cars will appear on demand

The car of the future will be electric, autonomous and powered by AI, explains Przemysław Krokosz, edge and embedded technology expert at global software solutions provider Mobica.

By 2035, autonomous driving is predicted to create $300 billion to $400 billion in revenue, according to McKinsey.

AI hologram ‘driver’ accompanies passengers 

Passengers might interact with the AI powering their car in the form of a holographic avatar — with a personality to suit the driver’s tastes.

Mr Krokosz said: ‘The vehicle’s onboard Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be able to recognize passengers and adjust the vehicle’s settings and controls to their preferences – with the ability to answer any queries and keep an engaging conversation, amongst other tasks.

‘This AI will likely be represented by an animated holographic avatar, which can speak and react in a human-like fashion.’

The interior of the cars of the future will be reshaped as passengers are freed from the ‘nuisance’ of driving, Mr Krokosz believes.

VR will turn car interiors into entertainment zones

Inside cars, virtual and augmented reality will create entertainment that is like real-life holograms. 

Mr Krokosz said: ‘They will have spare time on their hands which they can spend being productive or on entertainment, rest and relaxation. 

‘We have already seen gaming in vehicles, but advances in holographic projections will bring more immersive and engaging experiences to onboard entertainment – without the need for AR/VR goggles.

Immersive experiences with no AR goggles

Inside cars, entertainment will be personalized to each passenger — with AI music and projections built to entertain that particular person, Mr Krokosz said.

He said: ‘The unparalleled comforts of the rest and relaxation mode will bring the ambient lighting and interior projections of soothing landscapes to any tired passengers, with a noise-canceling supported zonal audio system playing AI-synthesized music, based on individual preferences.’

Autonomous cars will turn into offices

As cars shift towards being fully autonomous, people may use them as a workspace, explains Bertrand Boisseau, Automotive Lead at Canonical.

Boisseau said: ‘Most of us already take business calls from our vehicles. 

‘But in the very near future, our cars may become even more productivity-centric spaces, enabling video calls and advanced work collaboration.

‘Automotive companies may soon become more like tech companies providing content and connected services.’

Car bodies will turn transparent at will

The glass in cars will be able to turn transparent at will — and information such as speed will flash up directly on the windscreen for drivers, said Dr Hossein Ardekani, Head Research Scientist at transparent OLED specialist Nextgen Nano.

Cars will display advertising on the outside

Dr Ardekani’s company has recently made a breakthrough in transparent OLED technology which allows screens to work like two-way mirrors, so they work like a screen from one side but remain transparent from the other.

Dr Ardekani said: ‘This has potentially significant implications, for example, allowing all the glass windows on everything from buses and trains to entire buildings to operate as advertising digital displays from the outside but stay transparent for commuters or occupants looking out.’ 

Drivers will see information projected over their view

The shape-shifting LED glass could also mean that drivers see useful information within the glass on the outside of their cars. 

Dr Ardekani said: ‘It could also have the potential to be used in heads-up displays in cars to give drivers vital information without moving their eyes away from the road or in smart glasses to give users enhanced privacy.’

Flying cars will be worth trillions

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov predicted in 1964 that flying cars would be common by 2014 — but multiple start-ups around the world including Volocopter are now marketing flying vehicles, many of them autonomous.

Regulatory hurdles remain, but Morgan Stanley has predicted that flying vehicles could be a $1.5 trillion market by 2040.

Morgan Stanley predicts that flying cars could be as transformative as the car waas in the early 20th Century. 

Cars will exist in both reality and the metaverse

The vehicles of the future will be highly personalized, and users will drive them both in VR and the real world, said Jeremy White, Head of Transport Design at Seymourpowell.

Mr White said: ‘What if you could learn to drive your own vehicle around your favorite track virtually during the week and see if you could match it in the real world during a weekday track day?

‘Progressive automotive brands will begin to create new product-defining virtual experiences in a world where everyday driving and products are looking increasingly similar.’

Sustainable cars could be desirable

Mr White believes sustainable interiors built from vegan materials could be highly desirable in the future. 

He said: ‘The rebirth of coachbuilding in a modern age will allow customers to own vehicles that express their individual identity, values and desires across all vehicle touchpoints. The material palette can also express a customer’s individuality.

‘Could a vegan interior or the use of sustainable and circular exterior materials install a pride of ownership, for example?’

Robert Downey Jr. and his 11-year-old son Exton star in a new trailer for his HBO Max reality show Downey’s Dream Cars.

The 58-year-old Hollywood heartthrob is seen early on showing off his formidable collection of vintage automobiles largely from the 1960s and 1970s.

Now, with the help of professionals, he has embarked on the task of lovingly restoring them in an eco-friendly manner – and the process will unfold onscreen.

His plucky young son is on hand to cut the beloved movie star down to size whenever his ego begins to run away with him.

As Robert brags about being a ‘gearhead’ and a ‘grease monkey,’ Exton slyly turns to the camera and asks: ‘Are we sure he’s the right guy to be hosting this show?’

Robert takes the jabs with good humor, melting into laughter when his little pride and joy calls his compere abilities into question.

Near the start of the trailer he introduces his audience to his longtime love of old cars, particularly the ones made during his childhood.

‘The cars of the ’60s and ’70s just make your heart beat a little faster,’ he gushed. ‘As a red-blooded American boy, I wanted in.’ 

While his movie career got off to a turbulent start, derailed at one point by his addictions, he launched a galloping comeback and earned a fortune.

He has now ‘amassed a collection’ of cars, and as ‘an idea man,’ he has now ‘enlisted a team of folks to restore my cars in ways that are less harmful to the planet.’ 

Robert’s eco-friendly idea of restoration is to convert the cars into being either hybrid or possibly in some cases entirely electric. 

One of the professionals marvels that a particular vehicle is ‘almost too nice to mess with,’ but Robert is determined that he ‘can’t leave it alone.’

However before he gets carried away with his perception of his own expertise, little Exton arrives to bring him back to earth. 

As the pair sit down to oysters together, Robert begins using the food on the table to try and demonstrate the work he is having done.

‘This is a clue, you’ll never guess – ‘ Robert starts, holding up a French fry, but Exton is way ahead of him, saying: ‘It’s a biodiesel conversion.’ 

Exton is not the only person to be unimpressed, as becomes clear when the Iron Man heartthrob sets off to buy a vintage car in person.

Despite the fact that any seller who sees a rich famous film star will be unwilling to come down on the price, Robert insists on effecting the transaction himself. 

After the meeting, the seller shoots a confessional where he is asked if he recognizes his prospective client and replies with a laugh: ‘Yes, Rodney.’ 

Robert, who shares Exton with his movie producer wife Susan, will see the premiere of his new show on HBO Max June 22. 

Luxury cars sales go full throttle: Business booms at Aston Martin and Porsche over first three months of the year

By Jai Singh For The Daily Mail

Published: 16:58 EDT, 3 May 2023 | Updated: 17:04 EDT, 3 May 2023

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