Chuck E. Cheese Mascot Arrested by Florida Cops in Full Costume — As Kids Look On By Madison E. Goldberg

A man dressed in a Chuck E. Cheese mascot costume was arrested at work for alleged credit card fraud.

Jermell Jones was charged with three felonies — theft of a credit card, criminal use of personal identification information and fraudulent use of a credit over two times within six months, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Jones, 41, was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department on Wednesday, July 23, as children and families inside of the Chuck E. Cheese location watched on amid a child’s birthday party. He was identified after police entered the restaurant and another employee confirmed his identity.

The arrest took place shortly after 6:30 p.m. local time at the Chuck E. Cheese on the 2800 block of Sharer Road in Tallahassee, Fla., CBS Miami reports. Photos and videos captured of the shocking arrest went viral on social media, and the TPD later confirmed their authenticity.

TPD spokesperson Alicia Hill told the Democrat, “They walked over with the intention of just walking outside to put handcuffs on him outside of public view.”

Hill continued, “But when they approached him, he immediately tenses up and resists, and so at this point they make the decision to put him in handcuffs, keeping in mind the safety of not only the customers, but the suspect, as well as the officers themselves.”

She then revealed that TPD does not have a specific policy on when to determine if arrests in public spaces are appropriate.

Following the arrest, a woman approached the officers at the scene and allegedly provided video evidence, identifying Jones as the person who made fraudulent purchases with her child support debit card. She told police she last used the card on June 28 during her child’s birthday party at the restaurant.

Jones initially denied using anyone else’s card, but later confessed to officers that he sometimes used a cousin’s card, identifying her only as “Key,” the report obtained by CBS Miami states.

Police also found a small amount of marijuana in Jones’ possession, the outlet reports.

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Investigators ultimately determined Jones’ scheme upon reviewing surveillance footage from a nearby store and transaction logs that showed he had used the card in multiple locations. The card was discovered on his person at the scene of his arrest.

He was booked and released Thursday morning on $1,000 bond.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Chuck E. Cheese location where the arrest took place, and the TPD for comment.

“We are aware of an incident involving a part-time employee arrested at our Tallahassee location on Wednesday, July 23,” a spokesperson for Chuck E. Cheese said in a statement to PEOPLE. “We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee. The police have not reached out to us about this; please contact the local Tallahassee police department for any questions.”