Activist group claims responsibility for letting air out of SUV tires

A climate activist group has claimed responsibility for a weekend incident across Waterloo Region that saw the air let out of the tires of several SUVs. 

“The Tyre Extinguishers” said on Twitter they hit several areas Saturday night, but specifically targeted the Stanley Park and Maple Hill neighbourhoods in Kitchener and Waterloo.

The group claimed to have deflated the tires of 60 vehicles. 

Waterloo Regional Police tell CityNews Kitchener they had received over 30 reports of these incidents as of Monday morning and said they are investigating. 

“The tires on the vehicles were deflated using a device that made the tires slowly leak overnight,” Waterloo Regional Police said in a statement. “The suspects then left a note on the windshields that stated, 'Your gas guzzler kills.'”

The group claiming responsibility says it's a worldwide direct action environmentalist group with a goal of eliminating SUVs from urban areas, calling them unnecessary and “more detrimental to our climate than people may realize.”

Tiffany Woodley, the manager of Kal Tire in Waterloo, explained how to approach having a deflated tire.

“The biggest thing is making sure you don't drive on your flat tire,” she said. “Those tires are going to be repairable, but once you drive on them, you run the risk of making it to the point that they cannot be repaired.”

The Tyre Extinguishers have nearly 8,000 followers on Twitter and claim to have carried out similar targeted incidents in several other countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.

 

We are continuing to investigate after more than 30 SUVs were targeted in the following areas of Kitchener:

▪️Maple Hill Drive
▪️Silvercrest Drive
▪️Stonehaven Drive
▪️Craigstown Place

Anyone with video evidence is asked to please upload it here: https://t.co/7CGzcOaSpC. pic.twitter.com/dZvkBfrKzf

— Waterloo Regional Police (@WRPSToday) July 19, 2022