Police arrested a teenager who vandalized police vehicles while dressed in a banana costume.
The arrest was in connection with a September 21 incident when multiple illegal car meetups formed across various locations in Philadelphia. They turned violent, leading to reports of property damage and assaults against police officers.
Police used social media footage to track 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 KYW-TV. "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."
(2/2) Investigators say he was seen on video from that night—provided to @FOX29philly below—in a banana suit throwing the cone. Investigators say they confiscated the banana suit this morning during his arrest. pic.twitter.com/EZXSqY1GBT
— Kelly Rule (@KellyRuleTV) October 9, 2024
In the videos, Thomas was shown damaging police cars while wearing a banana suit, according to WTXF-TV. 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," 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
Police are continuing their investigation into the illegal car meetups, with more arrests expected.
