JEDDAH, 20 February 2007 — Joy riders were left in a state of shock and denial after hearing that a death sentence had been issued on Sunday to a joy rider who killed three young boys and injured two others during a car stunt in late 2005.
The case, which is considered the first of its kind, involved over a year of investigation and court hearings before the final sentence was issued. The accused, a navy officer nicknamed Abo Kab (the Man with the Cap), was a noted Jeddah daredevil known for his car stunts.
“This is not fair, the man did not mean to kill people. He was just reckless and for that he deserves a long jail sentence,” said S. N., a Saudi college student who loves watching joy riders.
S.N., who preferred to remain anonymous, said that Abo Kab is guilty of harming people and being negligent to public safety. Such behavior could be set right with proper psychological help, he said, adding that he used to joy ride himself, but stopped after realizing how dangerous it was.
Hatim Al-Ali, a 29 year-old Saudi private sector employee, said that he was in favor of the verdict. “The man deserves to die because he killed three young boys and didn’t care about anyone’s wellbeing,” he said.
Al-Ali added that joy riders and daredevils are committing a crime against the public by risking their lives along with those of others for fun. “There should be extremely strict rules against these people,” he said.
According to local newspapers, Abo Kab had 66 different traffic violation tickets in which three of them were issued for joy riding and driving at high speeds. Abo Kab was also known to have established a website in which he promoted drag racing, joy riding and car stunts.
Ahmad S., a 23-year-old Saudi college student and joy rider, said that he was surprised to hear the sentence, especially since Abo Kab did not kill the two boys intentionally.
“This sentence has really made me think twice about joy riding,” he said, adding that when Abo Kab performed stunts he did so in empty areas where few people were watching.
He added that no one can stop joy riding by force because there are no alternative entertainment facilities for the youth. “I think there should have a specialized space that is under the supervision of the authorities where they youngsters can perform their stunts,” he said.
The case of Abo Kab began in late 2005 when he rented a Honda Accord and took four young boys with him. Abo Kab performed a stunt called the “Death Stunt” in which he drove at a speed of 120 kilometers and then pulled the hand break forcing the car to glide aimlessly across the road. The car ended up crashing into a parked vehicle resulting in the death of the three boys.
