A Florida man faces felony charges after police say he went on a late-night rampage that left nearly $500 worth of pumpkins smashed outside a Target store in the Tampa Bay area.
According to court records obtained by TheSmokingGun.com, 31-year-old Aaron Thompson was caught on surveillance video around 1:15 a.m. on October 21 picking pumpkins from display boxes in front of the store and hurling them to the ground. Police say roughly 80 pumpkins, valued at $472.14, were destroyed.
Authorities arrested Thompson several days later when he returned to the same Target. After being shown the surveillance footage in the store’s loss-prevention office, Thompson allegedly admitted to being the person in the video, telling officers, “That’s me.” Investigators said he appeared unapologetic, reportedly stating that after smashing the pumpkins he “left the scene to go to sleep.”
Thompson was charged with felony criminal mischief and booked into the county jail, where he is being held on a $5,000 bond. His criminal history includes prior convictions for burglary, battery, trespass, criminal mischief, and reckless driving.
An arrest report lists Thompson’s occupation as a violinist who has performed with the Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra as part of its first-violin section. When asked why he destroyed the pumpkins, police said Thompson claimed he acted out of frustration because “someone was messing with him on Facebook.”
