Story Archive

Is That a Banana in Your Hand, or Are You Just Mad at Me?

Deputies Joshua Bunch and Donald Love were on patrol in Fruitvale, Colo., when they saw a man with what they thought was a yellow gun. “I immediately ducked in my patrol car and accelerated continuing northbound, fearing that it was a weapon,” Bunch said. “Based on training and experience, I have seen handguns in many shapes and colors and perceived this to be a handgun.” It turned out the gun was really a banana, allegedly wielded by Nathan Channing, 27. “Nathan’s only explanation for pointing the banana at law enforcement was it was a joke to post on the Internet,” Bunch said — but no one was taking any video. “Nathan explained that he thought it would ‘lighten the holiday spirit.’” The deputies, however, didn’t find it so amusing, since he allegedly pointed the banana only at them, and they jailed Channing on suspicion of felony menacing. (MS/Grand Junction Sentinel) ...They could have just told him to drop the banana, but that would be a slippery slope.