Cruelty or lack of "thinking through"?

Last night D and I heard a news item that literally made our jaws drop. A motorcyclist was in hospital with serious injuries to his neck after running into what was then reported to be fishing line stretched across a major intersection.

More details have come to light since then: like that the 'fishing line' is, in fact, line of the sort used in "kite fighting"... high stress resistance cord; like that the rider in question is lucky he was slowing down for a red light or he might well have been decapitated; like that police have, as yet, been unable to question the rider for more details because since surgery he has been unable to speak (this might be due to temporary inflamation, or it might be a more long-term issue... that hasn't been reported yet); like the fact that similar cord has been found in large quantities in the area, strewn across fences, wrapped around posts, lying in tangles on the sidewalk... that hydro crews have reported often having to untangle similar cord from hydro poles & lines; like the 'witness' who reported stopping area 'kids' (read: aproximate age group 12-16) from tying the cord around poles in recent weeks.

So... was this just teenage boredom gone wrong? Was it a case of "I wonder what'd happen if I did this"? Was it a matter of "it looks so cool in the movies when some guy runs into a clothesline and get knocked off his bike... let's try it!" without thinking of how string can cut into skin... and the thinner and stronger the string, the more it can cut? Or was this a deliberate act designed to injure or kill?

I'm hoping it's boredom and ignorance... but I fear that may not be the case. *sigh*