A group of thieves was caught on camera using a baby stroller to steal a shark from the San Antonio Aquarium.
The bizarre incident took place in San Antonio, Texas, where a group of three visited the popular aquarium only to steal a horn shark.
As the Leon Valley Police Department reported, one of the suspects grabbed the two-foot animal and lifted it from the tank for petting. They then used a bucket to move the shark and hide it in their stroller.
“It’s absolutely insane. They grabbed the shark right out of the tank,” Ammon Covino, the owner of the aquarium, said.
The thieves raised suspicions after general manager Jen Spellman saw water leaking from the stroller with the shark inside. After following the trio out of the aquarium and approaching their vehicle, the manager requested to search the stroller, prompting the group to flee the scene.
The staff then reported the incident to the police and provided the authorities with the license plate of the suspects’ vehicle. Meanwhile, the officials reviewed surveillance footage and saw how a male suspect grabbed the animal from the aquarium before hiding it in a stroller.
“[It’s] obviously somebody that knows something about the sharks and knows something about what they were doing and why they were doing it,” Leon Valley Police Chief Joseph Salvaggio said in a statement. “It’s not random. There is no doubt in my mind this is not a random theft.”
The police chief added:
“Once they took [the animal] out, they put it in some kind of blanket and went into a secure area of the building. The blanket was wet. You could still see the water running off it.
“Employees witnessed the actual fact inside the employee area, and an employee followed them out and tried to get to look into the stroller that was dripping water. [The suspects] didn’t stop, and they left.”
Shortly after the bizarre theft, the police tracked down the vehicle that was presumably used to steal the shark. The animal has since also been recovered and is reportedly in good condition.
The authorities also arrested 38-year-old Antone Shannon, who was seen grabbing the animal from the aquarium, and charged him with theft.
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