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Santa Claus is coming to town—to round up suspected car thieves. Undercover police in Riverside, California, made a thoroughly surreal arrest on Thursday that resulted in an elf pulling a gun and Santa tackling a suspect.
Members of the Riverside Police Department donned the festive outfits as part of a program aimed primarily at retail theft called “Santa’s Intervention,” the department wrote in a press release. The holly jolly duo was posted at a local shopping center to catch thieves with stolen merchandise as they exited the stores, but also received a tip about suspicious-looking men in the parking lot possibly scoping out vehicles to steal.
According to police, one of the undercover Christmas police caught the three men stealing a Honda CR-V. One suspect was able to flee in the CR-V, but the others were apprehended in the parking lot, leading to the bizarre scene in this video released by the Riverside Police Department.
In a clip that looks like it was straight out of a slapstick holiday comedy, one cop yelled “Get ’em, Santa!” as the cop dressed as Santa Claus tackled one of the two suspects. That suspect was detained and ultimately arrested for resisting arrest as well as possession of illegal drugs. The other suspect who was detained in this holly jolly roundup was later released.
The stolen CR-V was ultimately found abandoned. Police have not arrested the man who drove off in it but say that they have identified the suspect.
The Riverside Police Department says that their Santa’s Enforcement program will continue throughout the holidays, giving a whole ‘nother meaning to the holiday lyric “you better watch out.”
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