The flapjack eating man was arrested for sitting in the middle of a public crosswalk and eating pancakes on Tuesday, March 21st, in Lakeland, Florida.
Who would have ever known that one can be arrested for eating pancakes? Well, normally, this isn’t the case, but it seems as if it’s all in where the eater chooses to indulge. If not in his home, the story can change. Such was the case for 21-year-old “flapjack eating man” Kiaron Thomas. The man was arrested for sitting in the middle of a public crosswalk and chowing down on a stack of pancakes on Tuesday, March 21st, in Lakeland, Florida. To go along with the pancakes, he had what viewers believed to be a bottle of syrup, bacon and scrambled eggs. By all appearances, it looked like Thomas had taken the time to prepare himself a hearty, well balanced breakfast and that he may have been sitting there enjoying it for a while if the emergency calls hadn’t scared him off.
The Lakeland police department first received a call about the man’s actions at approximately 10:50 A.M. that morning. The caller stated there was a man without a shirt seated on a chair with a folding table and a small television in front of him. It was an unexpected sight for passersby, to say the least, causing many to do a double take before deciding to place a call to police. One of the 911 callers, likely a passing motorist trying to make his way through the intersection, stated, ““I got a problem. There’s two guys sitting at a table in the middle of the crosswalk, in the middle of a green light eating pancakes.”
Thomas was evidently positioned in the middle of a very busy intersection. Seen on video and in photos shirtless and wearing green pajama pants, he was eating his breakfast in the eastbound lanes of Memorial Boulevard and Brunnell Parkway as traffic tried to move past.
When officers arrived, the man had already vacated the premises, but someone later posted a video of the flapjack prank on Facebook, tagging Thomas and sharing it to the Lakeland Police Department Facebook page. The Neighborhood Liaison Office took a look at the tape on March 23rd and determined that Thomas lived approximately 100 yards south of the crosswalk. They arrived at his doorstep and questioned Thomas, who admitted to the strange incident, but indicated he pulled the stunt as a harmless prank.
Thomas was charged with obstructing the free flow of traffic for positioning himself in the middle of the crosswalk. He certainly was a distraction and could have caused an accident. He’s lucky he wasn’t hit by a passing vehicle.
The Lakeland Police Department’s Facebook page explained the charge. “Thomas’s actions prevented vehicles from moving and created an obstruction”, it stated. Looks like he should have chose another spot to squat.
The police department referred to Thomas after his arrest as the “flapjack eating man”. In skimming through his Facebook page, officers pulled photos of the flapjack man volunteering, picking up trash around the community. Though he admitted to the crazy stunt, it appeared he was relatively mild mannered and hadn’t pulled the prank maliciously. Thomas is set to appear in court for the stunt next month on April 25th.
Sources:
Florida man faces charges for eating pancakes in middle of the road
CHOWING DOWN! MAN SETS UP TABLE, EATS PANCAKES IN MIDDLE OF BUSY ROAD
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