Vuvuzela Sparks Ax Murder Threat by Neighbor
German police say an American got so fed up with the constant mosquito-like droning from his neighbors' vuvuzela plastic horns that he threatened to kill them with an ax.
Police in the Bavarian city of Weiden said Friday the 45-year-old man confronted his neighbors during Thursday's Netherlands-Cameroon World Cup game wielding the ax.
They said he was so sick of the constant buzzing and honking from the vuvuzelas since the tournament began that he screamed: "I will kill you," and then returned home.
German authorities took the U.S. Army civilian employee into custody and turned him over to U.S. military police. The military says he has been released and the matter is in German hands.
Prosecutors are investigating whether to charge the man, whose name was not released, with making a threat and slander for allegedly calling his neighbors names.
The cheap, yard-long vuvuzela trumpets have become a side story of the World Cup in South Africa, where their buzzing has been the backdrop to every match.
CBSNews.com Special Section: 2010 World Cup
Players have been criticizing the noise because they find it difficult to take advice from the bench, and visiting fans have no chance for community singing amid the noise.
A French cable TV channel even offers vuvuzela-free broadcasts for all World Cup matches, with the trumpets digitally tuned out.
Defenders include FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu - and masses of South African football fans.
The trumpets were first produced and marketed in 2001 by South African Neil Van Schalkwyk, who still owns the rights to the vuvuzela name. His latest innovation is to sell each with a pair of earplugs included.
More vuvuzela coverage:
Tech Geeks Join Crusade to Kill the Vuvuzela
World Cup: Why the Vuvuzelas Must Buzz On
World Cup Clamor: Should Vuvuzelas Be Banned?
AP Police in the Bavarian city of Weiden said Friday the 45-year-old man confronted his neighbors during Thursday's Netherlands-Cameroon World Cup game wielding the ax.
They said he was so sick of the constant buzzing and honking from the vuvuzelas since the tournament began that he screamed: "I will kill you," and then returned home.
German authorities took the U.S. Army civilian employee into custody and turned him over to U.S. military police. The military says he has been released and the matter is in German hands.
Prosecutors are investigating whether to charge the man, whose name was not released, with making a threat and slander for allegedly calling his neighbors names.
The cheap, yard-long vuvuzela trumpets have become a side story of the World Cup in South Africa, where their buzzing has been the backdrop to every match.
CBSNews.com Special Section: 2010 World Cup
Players have been criticizing the noise because they find it difficult to take advice from the bench, and visiting fans have no chance for community singing amid the noise.
A French cable TV channel even offers vuvuzela-free broadcasts for all World Cup matches, with the trumpets digitally tuned out.
Defenders include FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu - and masses of South African football fans.
The trumpets were first produced and marketed in 2001 by South African Neil Van Schalkwyk, who still owns the rights to the vuvuzela name. His latest innovation is to sell each with a pair of earplugs included.
More vuvuzela coverage:
Tech Geeks Join Crusade to Kill the Vuvuzela
World Cup: Why the Vuvuzelas Must Buzz On
World Cup Clamor: Should Vuvuzelas Be Banned?
Popular on CBSNews.com
-
One year after Afghan massacre, villagers work with U.S. troops One year after U.S. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians, the villagers in the town where the atrocity took place have joined the U.S. special forces stationed there to assist in the fight against the Taliban.
- Basement living in China 6 Photos
- 100,000 line streets of Brazil to protest corruption
- New Iran leader hints at "transparency" over nukes 133 Comments
- Man survives fall from 15th floor in New Zealand
- Who's who at the 2013 G8 8 Photos
- Montreal's mayor arrested on fraud charges
- U.K., Ecuador still at impasse over Assange asylum
- Unions strike, protest to support Turkey activists
Speak out now sports fans or forever reap the vuvuzela curse and resulting madness at every sporting event. Make your voice heard now before its drowned out by the dreaded vuvuzelas.
Passively wearing ear protection is not the answer.
Vuvuzela plastic horns and any other hazardous noise generating or enhancing devises must be outlawed from all public events and venues.
Cite whatever noise mitigation, hearing conservation or public health laws necessary to stop these shrilling noise makers. Obviously multiple horns tooting together create a dangerous form of pollution, a serious threat to health and safety, and a public nuisance menaces.
Noise Free America, U.S. Soccer Federation, MLS, NASL, FA, FIFA, NFL, NBA, MLB, and all other sport overseers, stadium safety managers, state, county, city, and local environmental health officials must get a handle on this menace before mass unchecked epidemic craze spreads.
Initiate and enforce legally binding by laws or stadium use codes of conduct to keep these wicked ear drum wreckers outlawed forever.
Outright vuvuzela, air horn, whistles, and any other ear piercing noise maker ban is only proactive, physical and mental health viable option.
Concur with arrest the horn blower responsible noise violator option and offer stress relief counseling to real victims, those poor stressed out fans or bystanders driven to insanity by these hideous sounds.
With enthusiasm I was looking forward to hours of quality World Cup viewing entertainment from comfortable and inexpensive front row seat of my living room.
Disappointingly from game one the aberrant, constant, annoying, buzzing background noise of these demonic gadgets drowned out professional commentators and literally given me a headache to point of turning sound down or muted off completely.
What a way to blight a World Cup or any public event.
Feel more for diehard fans who spent big money and burned vacation time to go in person to enjoy this once every four year mega sporting occasion only to suffer direct exposure and misery of these obnoxious horns.
Global scale of immeasurable spectator hearing pain, suffering, and frustration may never be acknowledged.
At what degrees Fahrenheit does plastic melt, get the pyres fired up ASAP to ceremonially get rid of these horrid shrieking noise polluters.