A vehicle thief who cut off a teddy bear’s bottom and crawled inside to evade arrest was ridiculed online when cops found him when they saw the enormous toy ‘breathing.’
Joshua Dobson, 18, of Rochdale, has been dodging Greater Manchester Police’s neighbourhood squad since May after stealing a vehicle and failing to pay for gasoline.
As officers looked for Joshua, they entered a house and were surprised to see a ‘breathing’ teddy bear – before realizing Joshua had torn out the cuddly toy’s bum and concealed within its stuffing.
Dobson was sentenced to nine months in prison last week for theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified, and fleeing a gas station without paying.
‘A wanted vehicle thief who attempted using a teddy bear to hide from our local officers out hunting for him last month has been thrown behind bars for nine months,’ GMP Rochdale posted on social media.
‘When our police arrived to arrest him, they spotted a giant bear breathing in the home before discovering Dobson hiding inside.’
He’s now locked up after being jailed last week for theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified, and fleeing a gas station without paying.
‘I hope he had a good time inside…’
Dobson’s attempted disguise was criticized by Facebook users who dubbed the fugitive’s quick-thinking ‘hilarious’ after details of the bizarre occurrence were uploaded on social media.
‘I bet the police couldn’t ‘bearlieve’ it when they discovered him,’ one user speculated.
‘I think being a GMP cop is rather UNBEARABLE at times,’ added another Facebook user.
‘He will only receive the basic necessities in prison,’ claimed a fellow Mancunian.
‘Apprehended by cops on paw patrol,’ one commentator added.
Another person pointed out that, although the bear is enormous, it is not human-sized.
‘What is he 3ft!’ they exclaimed of Dobson.
‘What a dummy,’ observed another local. That’s hilarious.’
Meanwhile, another skeptic said that they had to ‘verify the date’ to ensure the tweet was not an April Fools’ hoax by the police.
Greater Manchester Police were approached for comment.