A viral video shows the moment a Florida man went fishing at a fish tank in a Bass Pro Shops store and snatched a 50-pound tarpon. Police are fishing for leads to catch the thief who stole the large tarpon under fishy circumstances.
Video shows a man snag a 50-pound tarpon with a large net on Wednesday night inside a Bass Pro Shops store at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post: “But not just your ‘normal’ retail theft. We guess you could say THIS one will o-fish-ially catch your eye.”
The police said the male suspect “proceeded to remove a live tarpon from the store’s indoor fish pond.”
The man fled the sporting goods store with the live fish in the net.
“We’re #FishingForInformation & would love nothin’ more than to chum it up with this guy,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. “Don’t Get Caught Aiding & A-bait-ing.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Animal Cruelty Task Force, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and SWFL Crime Stoppers are working together to tackle the fish thief.
“The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is aware of an incident at The Bass Pro Shop in Fort Myers involving a tarpon. We are currently working with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to investigate further,” a spokesperson for the FWC told WOFL “I will provide updates when they become available.”
Anyone with information on the fish caper is urged to “drop a line” to SWFL Crimestoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 239-477-1000.
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