Asians behaving badly... package thievery edition! Last in week in Tennessee, the suspect in a series of thefts turned himself in to police after he was caught on camera stealing packages from people's porches.
Chattanooga Grinch Turns Himself In
The cops were calling him the "Grinch of Chattanooga." 23-year-old Tony Ho was charged with theft after driving around in a minivan -- described by the police as a "wagon of thievery" -- and repeatedly stealing UPS, FedEx and post packages from porches around the Chattanooga area.
Get a good look at the guy running around town taking packages from people’s front porches Call 698-2525 w/ info pic.twitter.com/AAAIwFJA5C
— Chattanooga Police (@ChattanoogaPD) December 22, 2015Police identified Ho when he was caught on surveillance video stealing a package containing a Power Rangers bicycle. Ho is accused of returning the bike to Target for store credit.
In an incident on Friday around 3 p.m., a woman witnessed a man take a package from her porch that had been delivered by UPS. She said he ran and got into a new white minivan before speeding away.
The woman said there was a bicycle in the package that her daughter had ordered for her son for Christmas.
The woman learned the next day that the bicycle had been returned to Target by Ho in exchange for a gift card. The bicycle had been returned to the store around 30 minutes after it was stolen.
Video showed a man identified as Ho returning the bicycle and leaving in a white, newer-model minivan.
Damn, dude. That's cold.
UPDATE: "The Grinch of Chattanooga" suspect Tony Ho has turned himself in. #chanews
— Chattanooga Police (@ChattanoogaPD) December 23, 2015After police released photos of the suspect, and the story went viral, Ho turned himself in. However, he insists that he didn't steal the packages. He claims that when he returned the bike to Target, he was doing a favor for some guy with a white van he met in a parking lot that day.
Ho does not deny returning the bicycle but says he was doing a favor for a man, driving a white van, he met in a restaurant parking lot that day.
"He was from Georgia and he forgot his ID, so they wouldn't let him," Ho wrote.
He went on to say the man insisted the bike wasn't stolen and produced a receipt.
"He was just trying to get it exchanged for his kids. Out of the kindness of my heart, I said sure," he added.
Ho says the man instructed him to use the store credit to buy another toy. A gesture Ho says has no labeled him something he's not.
Cool story, bro. Meanwhile, police say video shows Ho stealing packages from another doorstep in a similar incident earlier this month. Care to revise your story? You can probably expect more theft charges.
Ho is due in court January 11.
More here: UPDATE: Additional warrants issued for "Grinch of Chattanooga"