A man decided to eat a pancake breakfast. He didn't do it at his table at home. Instead, he sat down in a chair at a table in the middle of a busy Florida Intersection. While traffic was backed up, the 21-year-old man enjoyed his Pancake Breakfast and ignored the traffic jam he was causing.
Pancake eater identified
The Lakeland Police Department revealed that officers responded when a 911 call in around 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday about a man sitting in a folding chair and eating breakfast in the middle of a crosswalk. The shirtless man sat in a chair in front of a small TV table and ate Pancakes.
When the officers arrived, there was no one in the intersection doing what had been described.
Police were soon alerted to a video that had been posted on Facebook. The video included just what has been reported. Officers followed up on the video and located Kiaron Thomas who lives about 100 yards from the intersection. During an interview, Thomas admitted that he was the man in the video and that he did it as a prank.
Prankster charged
The police didn't find it funny at all. They concluded that the prank was dangerous and ridiculous which was inconsiderate of others who were on their way to work, doctors' appointments or other places. The prankster was charged with placing an obstruction in the busy intersection which disrupted the flow of traffic.
He was issued a summons to go to court on April 25.
And then there's this guy, arrested for blocking traffic by sitting in middle of a road, eating pancakes. Via @LakelandPD #BecauseFlorida pic.twitter.com/gpOYZWaoDj
— Meredyth Censullo (@WFLAmeredyth) March 24, 2017
Facebook posting
Perhaps Thomas would not have been caught by the police if he had not posted the video on Facebook.
After it was posted, people commented and defended Thomas for what he had done. They criticized the police for going after him rather than going after murderers and rapists. Some thought the idea was funny, and they applauded the prankster for giving them something to laugh about.
Those who were stuck in the traffic jam and were late for appointments didn't think it was funny.
Others criticized the legal system by saying what the prankster did was not illegal and the man should not have to go to court. What do you think? Should Thomas be charged for holding up traffic while he ate pancakes in the middle of the street?