PICKENS, S.C. — The Pickens Police Department released intense video showing a hot pursuit of six gingerbread men, “caught on camera” by a police helicopter.
Footage shows the six cookies running into an elementary school as an officer radioed for “backup.”
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“Six gingerbread men running towards the school,” the “helicopter officer” can be heard saying.
The cookies can be seen entering the school through a door held open by teachers, running through an empty cafeteria and exiting through a different door.
Backup officers arrived on the scene, got out of their cruisers and began pursuing the cookies on foot. One cookie was taken into custody, while the others disappeared into a wooded area.
Officers tracked the suspects using crumbs left behind, before the video ends with a “to be continued” note.
The video, shared on Dec. 3, has been viewed more than two million times and garnered 60,000 likes and more than 2,000 comments on Facebook.
The pursuit video is one installment in the department’s ongoing gingerbread-man saga, which has continued across several playful updates.
The following day, the department posted a follow-up morning briefing regarding the incident.
The briefing video shows two Pickens officers presenting about an “epidemic” of gingerbread men at large to a room full of mascot and stuffed animal officers.
The lead officer briefs other officers on theft incidents reported in “all 42 of our Dollar Generals,” as well as several other grocery stores where baking ingredients have been stolen. The only location not impacted by the thefts was the town’s Walmart.
“Extra patrol [and] surveillance in one place: our Walmart — a sacred institution,” the officer stated.
The officer then fired Spiderman from the department for insubordination before the video ended with another “to be continued” message.
The department’s gingerbread series has generated thousands of views, likes and comments on each video, reflecting strong engagement from residents and viewers well beyond Pickens.
