- Jarrelle Augustine arrested for swapping LEGO figures with pasta at Target stores
- He replaced valuable LEGO pieces with durum wheat semolina pasta for refunds
- Around 70 thefts nationwide linked to Augustine causing $34,000 in losses
In a bizarre case of theft, a US man has been arrested for allegedly swapping LEGO figures with pasta at Target stores. The accused, identified as Jarrelle Augustine, 28, of Paramount, California, was busted during his most recent theft attempt at the store and taken into custody at the Orange County Jail. The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has released a surveillance video of Augustine being caught in a "pasta-tively terrible" scheme.
Augustine allegedly purchased high-end LEGO sets from Target stores, removed the valuable minifigures and pieces, and replaced them with dried durum wheat semolina pasta before returning them for refunds.
"Everything was awesome in this Lego crime spree until we got involved. A suspect purchased Lego sets from Target, and removed valuable mini figures and pieces from the boxes, and in some cases, replaced them with dried pasta. You read that correctly, we are talking about durum wheat semolina pasta, and what we are calling a pasta-tively terrible plan," the police captioned the video.
Around 70 thefts across the country have been reported to authorities by Target, “tied to the same suspect, stacking up about $34,000 (Rs 31 lakh) in losses.
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Augustine Arrested
The IPD said its detectives “snapped into action,” conducted surveillance on the suspect and ultimately identified him before proceeding with the arrest.
"But like most bad builds, this one didn't hold together. IPD detectives snapped into action, conducted surveillance, and identified the suspect. Jarrelle Augustine, 28, of Paramount, was arrested for grand theft and booked at the Orange County Jail," IPD said.
"If your master plan involves swapping LEGOs for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente."
