Ohio | Matthew Pancake the hamster bandit
July 11, 2024
During a late night call, Columbus, Ohio, police responded to an alarm at a local restaurant named Rooster’s where they found security footage of an individual in a leopard-print onesie who had broken into Rooster’s and other surrounding stores including a shoe store. The security footage also revealed that Pancake took hostages from the pet store.
The officers attention quickly shifted to the Petland parking lot where multiple animals could be seen running around outside including birds, puppies, and bunnies. One officer asked for help as he was not a “bird guy.”
While police retraced Pancake’s steps in pursuit of the hostages Pancake was traveling on foot with, an eyewitness called in to report that she was looking right at the man who was now sleeping on a bench covered in glass and wearing a dog collar. Police swiftly ripped the man off the bench and placed him in handcuffs with a slight struggle from pancake.
After placing him under arrest, an officer got right down to business and began seeking the hostages. his efforts paid off quickly when multiple hamsters were found inside the legs of Pancake’s leopard-print onesie.
The officer’s seen on body cam referred to the hamsters as “gerbils,” the Petland manager set the record straight in confirming they are in fact hamsters.
At Pancake’s initial appearance he was granted a $10,000 bond.