Fish tank thieves attempt getaway on motorcycle

July 25 (UPI) -- Police in Ohio shared a photo of two suspected thieves carrying a stolen aquarium on a motorcycle -- and the aquarium later shattered.

The Niles Police Department posted a photo to Facebook showing two men riding on a motorcycle with the passenger carrying a box containing a large aquarium.

The post said the aquarium had been shoplifted from the local PetSmart store about 11:30 a.m. Monday and an officer on his way to the scene spotted the pair on the motorcycle.

Police said the passenger jumped off the motorcycle at one point, breaking the pilfered aquarium, and was arrested. He was identified as Mitchell Adkins, 52.

Police lost track of the motorcycle rider, but the vehicle was soon found abandoned behind the Chef Peng restaurant. Officers searched the area and spotted a "nervous-looking" man behind a home.

"Besides looking nervous, the male began to furiously prune a small tree with his bare hands telling officers he was there to do yard work," the Facebook post said.

The man told police he saw the suspects flee east on a nearby road, but investigators did not believe his story and he was identified as the driver of the motorcycle. The man was identified as Christopher Binion, 46.

Both men were charged with theft-related offenses and Binion was also charged with traffic violations including failure to comply.