"Run!"
That was our first thought when we watched a British teen carrying a potted, leafy-green stalk sprint past a local TV reporter as the news crew covered a grow house bust in Hoath, England.
Then we looked again and realized the teen wasn't actually holding a pot plant, but was instead executing one of the most masterfully-timed pranks we've seen in years.
According to the Daily Sun, the now-viral live TV punking took place in Hoath, England, where Cameron Tucker, a reporter for local KMTV News was reporting on a large-scale marijuana grow bust, in which two local residents were arrested for cultivating 88 cannabis plants inside of a thatched cottage in the countryside town.
While Tucker was in the middle of telling viewers about the cannabis bust that had shocked the local community, a teenager appears on the left side of the screen carrying the aforementioned potted plant. As soon as the trickster enters the frame, he looks both ways and takes off, running towards and past the camera as Tucker, seemingly unfazed, continues his segment as if a high schooler hadn't just pulled a Tay-K in the middle of his broadcast.
To his credit, Tucker remained calm through the pranking, finishing the report before he presumably burst out in laughter. In a follow-up for KMTV, Tucker assured viewers that he and his team had nothing to do with the great escape rouse, but that they would love to identify and interview the teen.
As for the couple who spurred the news segment in the first place, Yahoo reports that Yvette and Neil Hartley, both in their mid-40s, were convicted of cultivating cannabis early this week. They both contest that they were growing the plants for medicinal hash oil and did not take part in distributing the Class B drug. The two undercover growers were sentenced to 22 months in jail, but immediately had their jail time commuted and their punishment reduced to 150 hours of community service each.
Since the cheeky teen wasn't actually carrying leftover evidence from the bust, he will presumably get off scotch free. Still, if anyone has identified the 420-friendly prankster, please get in touch with MERRY JANE. This kid definitely deserves an interview — or maybe his own prank show.
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