Michigan worker who tried to remove Trump-Pence sign has fingers sliced open by booby trap, gets 13 stitches
OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: A Michigan township worker's fingers were sliced open after he went to remove a Trump-Pence sign. The incident reportedly happened on Wednesday, October 7, when the unidentified man, who works for Commerce Township, tried to remove the Trump-Pence 2020 sign which was booby-trapped with razor blades.
The 52-year-old man was asked by authorities to take down the sign since it violated a city ordinance because of its wrong placement, Township Supervisor David Scott told CNN. A press release by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office stated that according to the city ordinance, it is mandatory to place signs 33 feet from the center of the roadway.
However, the sign, which the city inspector was ordered to take out, was placed 24 feet from the center of the road clearly within the right of way. It has been reported that a similar sign with the sharp object at its bottom was also found.
The employee received 13 stitches due to the severity of the injuries, the sheriff's office said. "Several signs were taken from property that had several razor blades taped all the way along the bottom of the sign," officials said, according to a report by The Hill.
The homeowner, whose identity has also not been revealed by authorities, told deputies "their signs were taken and when they returned from out of town the signs were back in their yard." The person "denies any knowledge of the blades".
The employee's chief, Scott, said that his junior thought he was being "shocked electrically" when he touched the sign. But it turned out to be more dangerous as a line of razor blades taped to the campaign sign cut open three fingers on his left hand. He stated that the worker drove himself to a nearby hospital after "aggressively bleeding".
Though there was no grave danger to his nerves or tendons in his fingers, the man had to fix a tourniquet on one of his fingers to stop the bleeding. But he cannot use his hand like earlier, for now, Scott added. "You can't boobytrap them with the intent to hurt, harm or maim someone. For whatever reason, (someone felt the need to) protect this like it's the Crown Jewels," Scott told CNN.
While speaking with Fox 2 Detroit, he said: "I've seen signs tied to a tree, chained to fence post or a mail box — preventing them from being removed. This was simply laid out to hurt someone. And it did." The Oakland County Sheriff's Office has said that the investigation will continue.
In another incident, a Hollywood-like, 10-foot-high Trump sign set-up by the supporters of the president on October 6 along Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California, was torn down within hours. "A Trump sign was erected on the hillside along the 405 Freeway near the Sepulveda Pass. It's unclear who put it there," KTLA reported along with a panning out video of the sign.
Though the sign was at some distance from the roadway, it has been reported that the California Highway Patrol tagged it as a "traffic hazard". Also, people on social media were not happy with it demanding authorities to take it down.
"Well take that sh*t down tf" wrote one while another said: "Probably all kinds of poisonous snakes up there I would leave it be." A third added: "Yeah, that's going to undo that 16 point Biden lead in national polls." Another pointed out, "That's one name definitely not associated with or wanted in California."