A Philadelphia teenager dressed in a banana costume was arrested for his alleged involvement in illegal car meetups and for vandalizing police vehicles, according to a report.
On September 21, multiple illegal car meetups that formed across various locations turned violent, leading to reports of property damage and assaults against police officers.
After launching an investigation using social media footage, police tracked down 18-year-old Shane Thomas as one of the alleged perpetrators.
"The man was dressed in a banana costume, so this stuck out when the social media people were doing that," Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum told CBS News. "And through the investigation, they were able to identify that he had been tagged in several other social media posts in the past, including one of a high school graduation up in Plymouth Township. Through that investigation, we were able to identify him."
In the videos, Thomas was shown damaging police cars while wearing a banana suit, according to Fox29 News. He was taken into custody and his involvement is being looked into further.
The teen is facing several charges, including aggravated assault on police officers and criminal conspiracy.
"Police say he threw a cone at a police vehicle during 9/21-9/22 meetups that spiraled into chaos. He's facing several felony charges," FOX29 Philly reporter Kelly Rule wrote on X.
(1/2) CAR MEETUP ARREST: 18YO Shane Thomas arrested at his parents' MontCo home today by @PhillyPolice, w/ asst from Plymouth Twp PD. Police say he threw a cone at a police vehicle during 9/21-9/22 meetups that spiraled into chaos. He's facing several felony charges @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/M6vRekDEhn
— Kelly Rule (@KellyRuleTV) October 9, 2024
Following Thomas' arrest, police are continuing their investigation into the illegal car meetups, with more arrests expected.
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