Video clip from YouTube used to track down suspected murderer

December 24, 2006

Following the stabbing of Ryan Milner at a Canadian nightclub parking lot, Hamilton police posted a 72-second video clip of a surveillance cam on YouTube, a popular video sharing website, with hopes that witnesses would come forward. While no additional witnesses turned up, about two weeks later, 24-year-old George Gallo turned himself in.

Police had thought that the extra attention brought to the case is what made Mr Gallo surrender; indeed, the video had been viewed 34,000 times. Additionally, the video had been seen from as far away as Singapore. Hamilton Police believes this is the first time YouTube has been used in an investigation, and they are considering using YouTube for future investigations.

Detective Sergeant Jorge Lasso claims that he got the idea when he noted that the same people who attended the concert are the same people who are his children's ages. "My own children are in that age category, and they spend all their time on the Internet; they do not watch mainstream media," he stated.