‘Red Light Robin Hood’ arrested, charged with damaging stoplight cameras

The so-called Red Light Robin Hood, a man known on Long Island for damaging stoplight cameras, was arrested Monday for allegedly breaking 19 cameras in Suffolk County.

Stephen Ruth, 42, was taken into custody around 10 p.m. at his home in Centereach after Suffolk County police trailed him there, the New York Daily News reported.

“He escaped them, but when they came to the house, he honorably turned himself in because he isn’t doing anything wrong,” Ruth’s son wrote on his father’s Facebook page, according to the Daily News. “He was just trying to help people and save lives.”

Ruth has been arrested on similar charges in the past, CBS2 reported. In October 2015, he was charged with tampering with red light cameras in Ronkonkoma.

“They call it a crime. I call it saving lives,” Ruth was quoted by CBS2. “I never hid from my actions. I believe in what I’m doing, and I’m only trying to save lives.”

Police said in the Daily News report that Ruth used a long rod to knock the cameras from their fixed position, making them unable to take snapshots.

Ruth, who claimed the cameras created unneeded danger at intersections in order to raise ticket revenue for the county, was due in court on Tuesday, CBS2 added.