Prank Gone Wrong

On Oct. 14, three masked individuals approached the front door of a home in Alexandria, Virginia, rang the video doorbell, and began threatening the woman who answered, WJLA 7 News reported. The terrified resident called her brother, who arrived with a handgun less than two minutes after the trio left, and then the police, who began an investigation. News of the unsettling incident had the community on edge until Oct. 27, when Alexandria Chief of Police Tarrick McGuire announced during a press conference that the culprits had been found and that the whole thing was a prank — the masked would-be intruders were actually the teenage sons and nephew of an adult related to the victim. “For me, my team, and this community, it represents a moral failure,” McGuire told a gathering of the press. “A moral failure where consequences could result in deadly consequences.” After consulting with attorneys and the victim, the decision was made not to press charges.

Brief Thief

Tempted to return to the scene of the crime once too often, a suspect has been identified in a rash of women’s underwear heists, The Pattaya News reported on Oct. 31. The crimes have all taken place in the same apartment complex in the district of Phan Thong (no pun intended), Chonburi, Thailand. The most recent victim, also the owner of the complex, installed cameras after complaints about the perp’s previous capers, and sure enough, in the wee hours of Oct. 29 after she had hung her unmentionables out to dry, a man casually walked up and claimed another trophy. Police say they have collected additional evidence in the cases and expect to apprehend the thief in short order.

Unnatural

Researchers in Germany have, for the first time ever, captured video of brown rats (also known as Norway rats) actively hunting bats, Popular Science reported on Oct. 30. The freaky footage, made available to the public concurrently with a study recently published in the scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation, shows the rats stationing themselves at the openings of hibernation sites in the towns of Segeberg and Lüneburg Kalkberg, where the researchers had set up thermal and infrared cameras to monitor the bats’ activities. The rats, which are effectively blind when hunting at night, pounced on bats climbing to the sanctuaries and were even able to nab their prey in midair. The authors of the study issued a call for action: “Management of invasive rodents at important bat hibernation sites supports biodiversity conservation and reduces potential public health impacts.”

Just Had to Know

Friends, acquaintances, and other mourners at a funeral in Konchi, a village in Bihar, India, were stunned when Mohan Lal, the man whose funeral they were attending, rose and began taking part in the rituals of the Hindu service. Metro UK reported that the 74-year-old Lal, a retired Air Force veteran, is well-respected in Konchi for his work within the community — which, oddly enough, includes helping to fund and build a crematorium for the rainy seasons — but all of that goodwill didn’t stop Lal from carrying through his plan. “I wanted to witness it myself and see how much respect and affection people give me,” Lal said. Reactions varied from shock to confusion to relief, but Lal was able to calm things down by throwing a feast for the attendees.

It’s the Even Greater Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

In a rare case of a pumpkin DOING the smashing, a Utah man used a 1-ton gourd to destroy his 1991 Geo Metro. Alan Gebert, a pumpkin farmer, had driven the car for nearly 35 years, KMPH reported on Oct. 29, but it had finally given out. Such a trusty vehicle deserved a memorable send-off, so Gebert devised one: death by prize-winning produce, dropped from a height of about 14 stories. Before sealing the Geo’s fate, the pumpkin in question won first place at the Utah Giant Pumpkin Festival, weighing in at 1,917 pounds.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
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