Motorists see pornographic images on Michigan highway billboard

Omar Abdel-Baqui and Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the billboard operator. It is Triple Properties.

DETROIT – A pornographic video played on an electronic billboard on a Michigan highway over the weekend, police say.

Auburn Hills Police Department started receiving calls about 11 p.m. Saturday about the graphic images on the billboard at the Interstate 75 and Michigan 59 interchange. Officers were sent to the scene and contacted the billboard operators, Canadian-based Triple Properties, to shut down the screen.

Auburn Hills Police Lt. Ryan Gagnon said the vulgar videos played for 15-20 minutes.

Police are searching for the two men who played a pornographic video on an electronic billboard.

In an update Monday evening, the department shared a security video of the two suspects, who appear to be young white men with faces partially obscured by glasses and hoodies.

According to the department, at about 10:49 p.m. Saturday, the two broke into the shed under the billboard that houses billboard content controls. The suspects, who were in the building for about 15 minutes, accessed the computer in the shed, allowing them to display the video on the billboard.

"I've never seen or heard of anything like this," Gagnon said.

Multiple videos of the incident began circulating on social media overnight (the below video is SFW).

The suspects could face burglary charges for breaking and entering the shed, as well as 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine for promoting pornography.

Triple Properties could not be reached for comment.

Gagnon said no known accidents occurred due to head-turning onlookers taking their eyes off the road, but it was nevertheless "a huge distraction to drivers and obviously obscene and inappropriate."

"It was dark out, so the screen was glowing really bright," he said.

Follow Omar Abdel-Baqui and Emma Keith on Twitter: @omarabdelb and @emma_ckeith

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pornographic video plays on Michigan highway billboard