Wanted in Wisconsin: Fake-Banana-Stealing Bandit in Gorilla Suit

A bandit in a gorilla suit tore through Wisconsin convenience stores and tried swiping big, bogus bananas made of Styrofoam, police say.

The phony primate's motive for the thefts of the equally fake fruit at two Fond du Lac Kwik Trips remains a mystery.

But there were whisperings that it was a woman inside the costume attempting to make off with the oversized stuffed toys, according to FOX 11 WLUK-TV.

"She tried to grab it and leave the store with it, but the third shift worker kind of convinced her to lay it on the floor and she ran out," Marissa Erber, the manager of one of the targeted Kwik Trip stores, told the station. "I laughed a little bit. ... I just let everyone know, hey, we have a gorilla on the loose."

The big hairy beast burst into Erber's shop on Park Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday to try to steal the $50 item, WLUK reported.

"Somebody dressed in a gorilla suit entered the store and was apparently trying to take a large banana that they had as part of a banana display," said police Capt. Steve Klein.

There was a scuffle during which an employee tried to rip off the gorilla-suited thief's mask — discovering the culprit was a woman.

After that robbery was foiled, the fake ape reportedly went to a nearby Kwik Trip on Johnson Street and attempted the same crime.

And it — she? — returned for a third try later.

The Park Avenue store staff is trying to lure the gorilla back so they can catch her.

"We're going to hang it up again tomorrow, see what happens," Erber told WLUK.

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