Florida man accused of stealing crossbow by shoving it down his sweatpants

Surveillance footage caught the 46-year-old man in the dangerous act.

Man accused of trying to steal crossbow by putting it down his trousers (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

A Florida man in Brevard County is facing a criminal charge for stealing a crossbow from a True Value hardware store by shoving it down his pants.

The man allegedly committed the criminal act on 22 January 22, but footage of the crime was not uncovered until 6 February 6 after workers at the store in Mims, Florida, less than an hour east of Orlando, noticed that two of the store’s crossbows were missing.

Shortly thereafter, the workers checked the store’s surveillance footage and saw evidence of the daring act — the suspect, carrying a crutch in one hand and the crossbow in the other, stuffing the crossbow into his sweatpants and then resuming walking with the support of the crutch.

The alleged perpetrator is already in jail in nearby Seminole County, northeast of Orlando, on burglary charges. Brevard County has now issued a warrant for his arrest as well, where the man faces a charge of felony petit theft.

The man is being represented by a public defender in the Seminole County matter.

“Just when you think you have seen it all,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey wrote on Facebook.

“This guy takes carrying a concealed weapon to a whole new level, as he proves to all of us that you can actually stuff a crossbow down the front of your pants!”