Desperate times call for desperate measures.
A 25-year-old Florida man was arrested for swiping a roll of toilet paper from a parked car.
Safraz Shadeek Shakoor was arrested near his Clearwater home after police were notified that he had allegedly stolen the bathroom tissue for the backseat of a Dodge truck that’s door were unlocked.
Shakoor, who police say is unemployed, had a roll of Smart & Simple toilet paper in his hoodie pocket when cops confronted him shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday. The roll was allegedly removed from a six-pack of TP that was otherwise left in the truck.
The item Shakoor is accused of stealing is valued at $1, according to the police report.
That report does not indicate the 6-foot-4, 230-pound suspect was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Cops saw no sign of mental health issues. The alleged crime was reportedly recorded by a home surveillance camera. Shakoor denied entering the vehicle.
He was charged with burglary and held on $5,000 bond, according to the Smoking Gun.
Shakoor’s arrest comes amidst a rush on toilet paper purchases linked to consumer fears that grocery store deliveries and inventories may be affected by workforce shortages.
North Dakota news station KFYR-TV reported Monday that at least one large department store in Bismarck had empty bathroom supply shelves and that Amazon “is running out as well and prices are climbing.”
Reports Thursday that Amazon had run out of bathroom tissue proved untrue.
In Hong Kong, a gang of armed robbers stole 600 rolls of toilet paper last month, according to Business Insider.
The BBC reported that stores in Sydney, Australia, were capping the amount of toilet paper consumers could purchase as shopkeepers struggled to keep up with demand. That report states there is no shortage of TP worldwide.
USA Today published a list of stores where bathroom tissue can be purchased Wednesday while #toiletpapercrisis was trending on social media.
It’s unclear if Shakoor’s need for bathroom tissue was linked to inventory depletion tied to coronavirus fears. Dollar General, which stocks Smart & Simple Bath Tissue, is sold out of the double-ply, American-made brand online.
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