Social media erupted after a man in a Chuck E. Cheese costume was arrested and led out of the restaurant in Tallahassee, Florida, while families and kids watched the detainment of the man wearing a giant mouse head.
A photo of the employee’s arrest was widely distributed and viewed online in a Facebook post from freelance writer and former trial lawyer Chuck Hobbs.
Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y’all couldn’t let this man change out of his Chuck E. Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids? 🤔ðŸ˜ðŸ™„
“Ok, Tallahassee Police Department, y’all couldn’t let this man change out of his Chuck E. Cheese costume before arresting him in front of those kids?” he wrote in a caption accompanying the photo.
Why It Matters
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Newsweek that the suspect is 41-year-old Jermell Jarreau Jones. According to police records, Jones was arrested on three felony counts: criminal use of personal identification information, theft of a credit card and fraudulent use of a credit card over two times within six months.
Contact information for an attorney representing Jones was not immediately available.
Video footage and photos of him being taken into custody were widely circulated on social media, given the nature of the arrest and the circumstances surrounding it. The Tallahassee Democrat also reported on multiple photos and videos showing shocked patrons looking on while Jones was handcuffed and led out into the restaurant’s parking lot before officers had him remove his costume outside a police car.
Julia Weeks/AP
What To Know
The internet flew into a frenzy after Jones’ arrest, with a slew of users making Chuck E. Cheese references while discussing the news.
“Bail has been set at 3,500 tickets,” Chase Mitchell, writer for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, wrote on X in response to the news.
Emily C. Singer, writer for left-wing outlet Daily Kos, posted a screenshot of an officer leading Jones out of the restaurant in handcuffs while he was still dressed in the famous mouse’s costume.
“Record scratch, freeze frame … ‘You’re probably wondering how I found myself in this situation,'” Singer wrote.
Barstool Sports posted on X: “NOOOO THEY GOT CHUCK E. CHEESE.”
The post was accompanied by a video of the suspect having the head of the costume removed by police officers while he was standing while handcuffed outside the establishment.
Right-wing commentator Nick Sortor wrote: “JUST IN: ‘Chuck E. Cheese’ has been ARRESTED in Florida … Man, Chuck’s finally hit rock bottom, it seems. What a shame.”
What People Are Saying
The Tallahassee Democrat cited an employee at the restaurant who said of the arrest: “It’s unfortunate that it happened here.”
The employee, who was not identified in the report, told the news outlet that Jones’ arrest did not have anything to do with the company.
What Happens Next
Jones has been released on bond, according to police records.