Man grabbed Snoop Dogg statue like it was naughty toddler and fled, Florida cops say

A strange theft was caught on video at a southwest Florida restaurant, where a man grabbed a 3.5-foot-tall statue of rapper Snoop Dogg and led it out the front door like a naughty child, investigators say.

Statues of Snoop Dogg have become a popular target of thieves across the country, and in this case the suspect was a 50-year-old man, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The theft occurred Monday, Jan. 29, shortly before closing time at the Cantina Laredo restaurant near Fort Myers, officials say. Fort Myers is about 130 miles south of Tampa.

Security video shows the man waited until everyone was looking the other way before grabbing the statue by one arm and walking out. He is then seen carrying the statue down a sidewalk outside the restaurant.

The “bobblehead” figure has an estimated value of $1,250, officials noted.

Investigators credited Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers with identifying the suspect, who turned himself in Jan. 31. He was charged with grand theft, officials said.

The statue was also recovered and returned to the restaurant.

Detectives did not reveal why the man wanted the novelty statue, which can be purchased on eBay.

“What may have seemed like a joke to this suspect ended in a not-so-humorous trip to jail for a felony offense,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in the release.

This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Man grabbed Snoop Dogg statue like it was naughty toddler and fled, Florida cops say."