PwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023

So this is interesting. Remember the couple of cases of people shooting at four electrical substations near Tacoma in Washington State, seemingly without obvious reasons on Christmas?

Well, two people just got arrested for it. And it's an interesting story.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/press-release/file/1560621/download

Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
First, they got caught because they brought their phones. The phones gave the Feds their subscriber accounts, which also matched a vehicle registered to one of them that was visible from a distance on a CCTV.
Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
But the big question was always *why*? Was this some form of domestic terrorism? Some coordinated activity? What on Earth could it be?
Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
Turns out (at least this time) it's simple burglary. They cut the power by attacking the substations, and then went to a local business, drilled out a lock, and stole from a cash register.
Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
Curious how many dollars they got from that cash register for the low-low price of doing $3m worth of damage that put power out in 14,000 homes on Christmas day
Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
(my bet is a few hundred, and much less than $1000)
Show threadPwnallthethingsJan 3, 2023
The indictment doesn't say, but from Pierce Country records, this most closely matches the likely burglary itself. Not an exact match to the confession, but closest to right time and place.
Show threadTom von AltenJan 3, 2023
@Pwnallthethings Stealing lottery tickets, that's really the cherry on top.
Show threadAndrew BuckoJan 3, 2023
@fortboise @Pwnallthethings obviously this is going to vary from store to store but the place I worked at kept pretty close tabs on the lottery ticket serial numbers. Shortly after finding out they were what was stolen, they were probably marked as such and made worthless.
Show threadCat WestJan 3, 2023
@trekologer @fortboise @Pwnallthethings Most people don’t realize that. Where I worked, a guy jumped the counter and scooped up the tickets (I was not there). He got caught 2 hrs later cashing in a $25 “winner” because the numbers were recorded.
Show threadAndrew Bucko
@Catawu @fortboise @Pwnallthethings he won more than $25
Jan 4, 2023 at 12:36amWeb