This is the moment a couple of police officers trick two suspected thieves who used a red Tesla to steal Amazon packages into an arrest by saying they wanted to teach their trainees how to detain.
Newsflash obtained the footage from the Atlanta Police Department (APD), along with a statement according to which the two men, later identified as Larry Byer, 39, and Don ‘El Leon’ Hammonds, 38, were caught red-handed in a stolen Tesla in the streets of Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia.
The APD said: “Some say we should ‘never judge a book by its cover’; we say, ‘never judge a thief by the car they drive’.
“These thieves used a red Tesla in their Amazon package heist and the Z1 officers were here for it.”
The officers were responding to a call made by a local resident who said that he saw two men stealing packages from properties and loading them up in a red Tesla.
When officers arrived at the scene, they reportedly observed a red Tesla Model 3 with the boot open and packages visible.
Body-camera footage shows Byer and Hammonds being quizzed by the cops, who ask them for a favour, saying they want to train someone on the force how to question and detain people.
The clever trick saved the officers a massive headache, and they had the two thieves locked up in handcuffs in just minutes.
As they further searched the vehicles, they reportedly found cannabis, methamphetamine, a firearm, and Amazon boxes with different names and addresses on them, the APD said.
They also recovered multiple credit cards and ID cards with different names on them – none belonging to the suspects.
Byer and Hammonds were charged with multiple felonies and were taken to the Fulton County jail.
Atlanta Police said: “We applaud the caller who observed the illegal activity and made the 911 call-the caller is the epitome of ‘if you see something, say something’.
“We give kudos to the Z1 officers who responded and used their excellent interpersonal skills and training to take these suspects into custody without incident.”
Officers were able to return the packages to their rightful owners, the APD finally added.
