No Joke: Speedy Gonzalez Busted At GA Walmart

Speedy Gonzalez..Really!

A notorious Walmart shoplifter, whose spree of thefts netted him over $20,000 in pilfered merchandise, has finally been apprehended, bringing an end to his brazen run of retail crime. However, it’s not just his cunning methods that have thrust him into the spotlight—it’s his almost comically fitting name that’s stealing the headlines and sparking chuckles across social media and newsrooms alike.

Meet Speedy Gonzalez, a 40-year-old Gainesville, Georgia resident whose moniker evokes the fleet-footed Looney Tunes mouse known for outsmarting pursuers. 

On March 28, 2025, Gonzalez was caught red-handed on Walmart’s surveillance cameras in a store located about an hour northeast of Atlanta. His scheme was as bold as it was simple: he stuffed an empty trash can with an assortment of high-value items—think electronics, clothing, and household goods—before casually strolling to the self-checkout aisle. There, he scanned only the barcode for the trash can, a low-cost item, effectively ringing up a haul worth hundreds of dollars for mere pocket change. The footage, now widely circulated, shows Gonzalez executing this ploy with the confidence of a seasoned pro, though his luck ran out when store security and local law enforcement pieced together his pattern.

The Original Speedy!

This inventive tactic appears to be a modern twist on the so-called “banana trick,” a shoplifting method that’s gained infamy in retail circles. The banana trick involves a thief selecting an expensive product—say, a premium cut of meat or a pricey gadget—and scanning it at the self-checkout as a bunch of bananas or another dirt-cheap item, exploiting the honor system of unmonitored kiosks. Gonzalez’s trash-can variation ups the ante, allowing him to conceal multiple items under the guise of a single, innocuous purchase. 

Retail experts note that such schemes have surged with the proliferation of self-checkout technology, which, while convenient, often lacks the oversight of traditional cashier lanes.

According to the Gainesville Police Department, Gonzalez didn’t limit his antics to a single heist. Authorities allege he pulled off this stunt more than 20 times across multiple Walmart locations in the region, amassing a staggering $20,000-plus in stolen goods before his arrest.