VANCOUVER, WA — A Washington man confronted a known panhandler recently after he saw the panhandler get into a newer Toyota pickup truck.
Jimmy Severs works as a tattoo artist right across the street from where the panhandler sits. Severs said he became outraged when he saw the man get into the truck.
“Just to see somebody sitting out with a 2014, 2015 Toyota Tacoma holding a sign — just imagine how much money that guy has made in the months of sitting there, that I’ve personally seen him sitting there,” Severs said.
Severs posted his video to Facebook where it’s been shared 1,000 times and has more than 43,000 views.
KOIN 6 News spoke with the man in the video Wednesday after he showed up to the same corner where he is known to panhandle. He left when KOIN 6 News approached him, saying he was going home, and he wasn’t going to ask for money anymore because he doesn’t need it. He wouldn’t answer questions about the truck he was driving.
Severs says this should serve as a lesson.
“Don’t give them money. Give them something they need, if they need money for food and clothes, give them food and clothes.”
Vancouver Police say panhandling is only illegal if someone is aggressively begging or obstructing traffic.CLICK HERE to watch the video on Facebook. WARNING! It contains vulgar language.