Some people are drawn towards areas of work that suit their names, according to the theory of nominative determinism. Just ask Thomas Crapper, inventor of the modern toilet.
But a badass name can also feed an overinflated opinion of one’s abilities.
Speedy Gonzales of Buford, Georgia, certainly imagined that, like his namesake, “The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico,” he could outrun his pursuers indefinitely.
However, the non-sombrero-wearing 35-year-old realized his legal name had lulled him into a false sense of security, when cops finally cornered him on Saturday.
Police first started looking for Gonzales in late January, when a man in Suwanee reported that checks left for postal collection had been stolen from his mailbox.
Gonzales allegedly used the checks the following day to buy items worth over $3,000 at a Home Depot store, according to a police statement. He later returned the purchases for a cash refund.
Although detectives identified Gonzales as their man and shared surveillance footage of him as long ago as early March, the nimble racer continued to evade capture for weeks.
He even turned up in Tennessee before being arrested during a traffic stop in Gwinnett County on Saturday.
A passer-by who declined to be named reported hearing a muffled “¡Arriba, arriba!” as Gonzales was taken into custody.
He was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on charges of forgery, identity theft and theft by deception.
Gonzales also has outstanding warrants on similar counts in Forsyth County, Georgia, and Opelika, Alabama, according to local news outlets.