Man Jailed After Eating Chips Stolen By Angry Customer

A Memphis, Tennessee, man was jailed after eating two bags of chips that someone else stole from a convenience store. 

According to local news outlet WREG, the bizarre arrest occurred on February 9th when the chip bandit got into a verbal altercation with a store clerk. The spat was over the employee refusing to sell him a beer, which angered the belligerent customer. He responded by stealing a whole case of display chips. As he fled, the suspect dropped two bags of chips valued at $4.98 each.

What should have been the end of a minor theft, another man, Joseph Braswell, stumbled upon the fallen chip bags. Not letting two unopened snacks go to waste, Braswell proceeded to eat the chips. Law enforcement responded to the store minutes later, where they caught Braswell red-handed with crumbs on his face. Memphis police reviewed surveillance footage that confirmed Braswell saw the initial burglary take place and still proceeded to eat the stolen food. 

The hungry man was charged with theft of merchandise of less than $1,000. Ironically, the burglar who stole the chips has not been apprehended, having fled the scene in a car before cops arrived. Braswell was freed on his own recognizance Tuesday morning.

Memphis Police faced backlash for the arrest, with many calling for them to drop charges against Braswell. The department already has its hands full with the unjust murder of Tyre Nichols, who Memphis Police officers brutally killed in January.