LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — While riding their Onewheels along a trail, a Las Vegas family was stunned when caltrops punctured their tires.
Scott Chamberlain and his family enjoy riding Onewheels, which are self-balancing electric skateboards with a single, inflated tire at the center. During a recent outing on one of their favorite trails, they were stunned when their tires suddenly popped.
It wasn’t rocks or sharp sticks that caused the damage; they said it was caltrops, the spiked devices often seen in spy movies.
“Weather permitting, we try and go a few times a week,” Chamberlain said.
The inflated tire on the Onewheels allows them to go where most boards can’t, shredding through dirt trails and rocky pavement.
Chamberlain was riding with his wife and daughter on Monday when all of their tires popped shortly before a tunnel. This caused his daughter to crash. When Chamberlain went to check the trail for what punctured their tires, he found the caltrops.
“I saw I don’t probably 20 or so, of these little metal spikes that somebody had put on the trail and hidden under the branches,” Chamberlain said. “They put 5 or 6 puncture holes in all of the Onewheel tires that we had.”
For Chamberlain, the spikes were a shocking first. On the trail, which winds through an abandoned golf course in the heart of the Silverstone Ranch community, he’s used to spotting trash and the occasional broken glass, but never anything like this.
The course closed a decade ago and has been an eyesore for neighbors ever since. But for Chamberlain, the abandoned course adds to the trail’s appeal.
“For somebody who likes going on the trail, I think it’s perfect for me because it’s a little bit overgrown. There’s more wildlife that makes it more of a tranquil area to go to ride through, so it’s perfect for us,” Chamberlain said.
But he’s not the only one who uses the course’s trails. Chamberlain said he sees other families around the course.
“I would much prefer that it’s us where there wasn’t anything serious that happened compared to a little kid, that could have crashed and fallen headfirst or with their hands on one of those spikes, and it would have really hurt somebody,” Chamberlain said.’
The homeowner’s association for the neighborhood told 8 News Now in a statement, “The Silverstone Golf Course is owned by Stoneridge Parkway, and they are responsible for maintaining the property.”
Stoneridge Parkway did not respond to a request for comment.
Chamberlain does not know who placed the spikes or why they did it, but he’s hoping the community can help.
“I filed a police report. I don’t realistically think they’ll be able to find whoever did this,” Chamberlain said. “I’m just hoping that by having it out there, the community will kind of step up and police ourselves. Maybe if somebody knows who put it out there, they can at the very least talk with them or maybe let the police know who was doing it.”
