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2 months ago
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Cops have arrested a suspect accused of breaking into several stores in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
Matthew Pancake, 31, was wearing a leopard-print onesie when he was perp-walked out of shopping mall early Tuesday.
Police say Pancake 'busted out the glass to the front doors' of a Famous Footwear store just after 2 am, WSYX reported.
He is also accused of breaking into a Roosters restaurant and a Petland - the latter a possible explanation for what police found in his pockets at the time of his arrest.
Two hamsters were jammed into the pockets of Pancake's onesie, and one officer was later pictured holding the furry little critters in his hands.
Matthew Pancake, 31, is seen sleeping on a bench less than a mile from the pet store shortly after he allegedly broke in
A Columbus police officer is seen holding the two hamsters found in Pancake's pockets
Following Pancake's alleged breaking and entering spree along the strip mall on Hilliard-Rome Road, police found merchandise from the three stores strewn about the sidewalks outside.
Police were apparently one step behind their suspect, getting the call about the Petland break-in while they were still investigating what happened at Roosters.
'My officers in the area a short distance away here at the Petland, they noticed several animals running around in the parking lot,' Columbus Police Sgt. Joe Albert said.
'Officers were able to corral as many animals as they could. They corralled several bunnies, birds... and a couple of puppies,' he added.
Police were able to rescue the hamsters in Pancake's pockets, and return them to the pet shop safely.
Some of the dog kennels inside the store were smashed with a rock, one of the Petland owners said, which allowed the canines to run free for a little while.
Pancake was charged with vandalism and breaking and entering. His first court date will be on Wednesday morning
A bird that escaped the store after the break-in is perched on an officer's shoulder
Another bird was caught outside in the pet store's parking lot
Following his alleged prison break of the animals, Pancake was found asleep in his onesie near a Big Lots parking lot a little less than a mile away from the pet store.
Police body cam footage obtained by 10TV showed officers approaching him as he snoozes on the bench.
They then yanked him to the ground, startling him out of his slumber.
'In the name of the law, get on your belly, Pancake!' one of the officers shouted at him as they tried to push him down flat onto the concrete.
'What is going on?' Pancake asked. 'Are you kidding me, what the f**k?'
He then asked why he was being arrested, and the officers readily explained why to him.
The group of officers arresting Pancake giggle as they find the hamsters in the pockets of his unusual getup
Pancake is pictured in the back of a police cruiser
As they explained, one officer noticed something moving in their suspect's pocket.
They all broke down laughing as they realized what they'd found.
'There are multiple gerbils in his pants,' one cop said in disbelief.
This unusual case more than anything else got Albert to evaluate the complexity of his job.
'Within the same day you can respond to a shooting, you can respond to a missing person, you can save somebody's life and then you can chase bunnies inside of a parking lot of a business that just got broken into,' the officer added.
Pancake was charged with vandalism and breaking and entering.
His first court date will be on Wednesday morning.
English (US)