A Florida man is facing a felony charge after police say he left $500 worth of pumpkins smashed outside a Tampa Bay area Target store during a late-night rampage.
According to court records obtained by TheSmokingGun.com, around 1:15 a.m. on Oct. 21, 31-year-old Aaron Thompson was captured on surveillance camera removing a pumpkin from a display box in front of the store and throwing it on the ground. Police said about 80 pumpkins worth $472.14 were destroyed.
Authorities arrested Thompson a few days later when he returned to the same target. After Thompson was shown the surveillance footage in the store’s loss prevention office, he admitted to being the person in the video and told officers, “That’s me,” police said. According to investigators, the man showed no signs of remorse and reportedly stated that he had left the scene to go to sleep after breaking the pumpkin.
Thompson was charged with a felony and booked into the county jail, where bail is set at $5,000. His criminal history includes convictions for robbery, assault, trespassing, criminal mischief, and reckless driving.
The arrest report lists Thompson as a violinist by profession and performed as part of the first violin section of the Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra. When asked why he destroyed the pumpkin, police said Thompson claimed he acted out of frustration because “someone was making fun of him on Facebook.”
