Accused ‘meat bandits’ are caught in a stolen car packed full of meat, Texas cops say

Two accused thieves were caught driving in a stolen car carrying shoplifted meat, according to Texas police.

An officer with the Rosenberg Police Department pulled the vehicle over due to a report of a similar car being stolen recently from College Station, the department said in a Jan. 25 news release shared to Facebook.

The two men, ages 31 and 32, were detained while police searched the vehicle and found “a total of 18 packages of meat including beef steaks, brisket and pork chitterlings,” or about $500 worth of stolen meat, the department said.

Though police didn’t say why the men stole so much meat, people were intrigued by the alleged thieves, with one commenter dubbing the duo “the meat bandits.”

Some wondered if they were preparing for a huge cookout.

“The BBQ was canceled,” a commenter said.

Meanwhile, others judged the suspected “meat bandits” not only for their alleged actions, but for the particular cuts of meat they are accused of targeting.

“They stole chitterlings?!?!” a commenter said. “They needed to be arrested for having that in the car period!!! Good job officers keeping those chitterlings off the streets!!!”

Officers also found drug paraphernalia in the car, police said.

The driver was arrested on a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and the passenger is facing a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, police said. Additional theft charges are pending for both men.

“I applaud our Officers for their vigilance in stopping this criminal episode,” Police Chief Jonathan White said. ”Without the intervention of the Officers, more crimes would have likely occurred against citizens and businesses in our area.”

Rosenberg is about 30 miles southwest of Houston.