Footage of a Florida man's arrest was finally released to the public after he was caught taking rather drastic measures to avoid arrest. Let's just say Jaythan Lawrence Gilder took a rich gastrointestinal approach to things.
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On February 26, Gilder pretended to represent a NBA player to gain access to a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Fla., WFLA reported. Once he was brought to a private viewing room in the jewelry store, Gilder snagged two sets of earrings and ran off. In total, the heist cost almost $770,000-- $160,000 for a 4.86-carat set and another $609,500 for pair of 8.10-carat earrings.
Things were going relatively according to plan until Orlando police spotted him driving a rented Mitsubishi Outlander, according to thesmokinggun.com. Apparently, detectives investigating the theft put the word out for Gilder's arrest. The 32-year-old was not a pro, but he built a long criminal rap sheet of jewelry thefts.
When the cops finally caught up to him, they placed him in cuffs. But that's when one officer noticed something was in Gilder's mouth, according to the video. He then brought out his flashlight and instructed the suspect to open his mouth. Gilder refused to comply, and all hell broke loose.
From there, the officer grabbed Gilder's face, eventually using both hands to wrap around the man's neck. Two other officers joined in, yelling for him to "Spit it out!" and "Open your mouth!" One official even warned, "You’re about to get tased."
So, even with three officers forcefully holding his head down, trying to pry his mouth open, Gilder still didn't budge. "I don't have to," he said.
The cops eventually gave up, and Gilder swallowed the missing jewelry. He was first charged with resisting arrest since they were not able to locate the expensive earrings, The New York Post reported. A search of Gilder’s car only turned up Tiffany & Co. price tags and "earring cards" for the jewelry. An official concluded, "He probably did swallow the earrings." And he was right!
Gilder was eventually taken to a hospital, although he refused treatment. He reportedly asked an officer "Am I going to be charged with what’s in my stomach?" after a jail scan showed foreign objects in his stomach.
Two weeks later, he passed the stolen jewelry, and the earrings were eventually cleaned and returned to Tiffany & Co., a police report said.
This wasn't Gilder's first time taking such desperate measures. He was arrested in 2022 and swallowed a pair of earrings, according to thesmokinggun.com. To make matters worst, Gilder also had 48 warrants in Colorado and Texas in connection to past heists.
Now, he'll be facing the music as he sits in jail without bail.
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