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Cats stop thief on the run, by acting cute

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Last week, a Florida woman's felines helped police arrest 21-year-old Daniel Pinedo Velapatino - without lifting a paw.

They just had to act cute.

Velapatino was already in trouble for alleged car theft. Last week, the drugged-out man stole thousands of dollars from a friend while on drugs.

He damaged several police vehicles as he tried to make a get-away.

To shake off the police pursuit, he ended up knocking on Boca Raton resident Candace Noonan's door.

She thought he was a landscaper.

"He said, 'Oh, I’m so sorry. Next door, I’m mowing the lawn," Noonan told WPBF News. "Do you mind if I have a glass of water?"

Candace agreed, not knowing what he had done. But she turned suspicions upon returning with the glass of water.


Photo: Animal Planet

The way the visitor played with her cats was "odd, very odd".

"It almost looked like he either was on drugs" or he was mentally unsound, she recalled.

Candace alerted her husband, who then questioned Daniel. He fled to a nearby canal, where a police boat found him.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Daniel had stolen the money to return the US$2,000(S$2,500) he owed his mother.

Now facing additional charges of grand theft, eluding police, possession of drugs et cetera, he remains in the Palm Beach County Jail on a US$76,000 bail.

Sources: Huffington Post, YouTube

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