The contents of the trash can were not what he expected. A garbage collector on his waste collection route in the city of Huber Heights, Ohio (United States), came face to face with a man wanted by the police on February 23. The suspect popped out of a dumpster that he was about to empty, as reported by the Australian media News.com. The scene was captured by the onboard camera of a police car.
As seen in the video posted on the local police’s Facebook page, the garbage collector pushed the trash can to the back of his truck and opened the lid. But he jumped back upon realizing that a man was inside. He then began gesturing frantically to alert the authorities.
“Dismasked,” the fugitive then extricated himself from the trash can and fled. Subsequently, a police officer is seen exiting the car and chasing after him. In their post, law enforcement specified that the officer eventually apprehended the suspect. The latter had fled after a traffic stop shortly beforehand. “The officer briefly lost sight of the suspect and quickly established a secure perimeter,” wrote the Huber Heights police.
“Fortunately, the fugitive ‘appeared in the right place at the right time,'” added local authorities. The police also nicknamed him “Oscar the Grouch” in reference to the famous puppet from the TV show Sesame Street, known for living in a trash can.
