Outright swatting: "911, my name is <researcher name>, I live at <researcher home address>, and I'm currently holding my girlfriend hostage with a shotgun and plan on killing us both in 30 minutes."
What tombrossman did: "911, I saw a video of researchers shutting down a car on a freeway in the middle of the day with little concern to public safety, can you guys investigate and make sure that nobody's life was in danger for this experiment?"
I don't think there's even a tangential comparison between the two.
Are the police not capable of reading wired on their own? The article is quite public. I can't imagine this could be published without the relevant law enforcement agencies being aware of it on their own.
In general, I would feel uncomfortable alerting a local law enforcement agency in _another country_ about something I saw on the internet, both because the premise is silly, and because not all cops are loyal public servants dedicated to protecting people. Many just like the power trip they get from having a badge and a gun to wave at us plebs.
What tombrossman did: "911, I saw a video of researchers shutting down a car on a freeway in the middle of the day with little concern to public safety, can you guys investigate and make sure that nobody's life was in danger for this experiment?"
I don't think there's even a tangential comparison between the two.