Lacey Police Officer Directs Crash Traffic Dressed as a Giant Banana
A police officer in Lacey, Washington, was at a "Costume with a Cop" event in a full-body banana suit when a crash snarled a busy junction. With no time to change, he went anyway and directed the traffic as a banana.
Some police officers turn up to a crash in a patrol car with the lights flashing. In Lacey, Washington, one turned up as a piece of fruit.
The Lacey Police Department’s community resource officers were running a “Costume with a Cop” event at a nearby Starbucks – reported in the first week of November 2026 – when a call came in about a crash that was snarling up traffic at the junction of College and Pacific Avenues. With other officers already busy on other calls, one of the resource officers volunteered to go. The slight snag: he was dressed head to toe as a giant banana.
AI illustration – hold it right there, sir. Not the actual event. (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
There was no time to peel it off. While colleagues looked after the people involved, who police said had only minor injuries, the banana-suited officer directed the traffic and coordinated the arrival of the ambulance crews. Video of the scene was shared by the department on Facebook.
AI illustration – the moment the call came in. Not the actual event. Can you spot Gaz? #WheresGaz (Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated)
Police reckoned the costume actually helped: the bright yellow suit stood out, and drivers “certainly noticed” him. Hi-vis, but make it fruit. Once the scene was cleared, the officer went back to Starbucks to help finish the event – presumably to a hero’s welcome, or at least a round of a-peel-ause.
Sources: NewsTalk 870 (John McKay, 5 Nov 2026) · The Real Olympic Herald (Mike Jensen, 6 Nov 2026) – both based on a media release from the Lacey Police Department.
Image credits: Top photo: Derek Bridges, “Fat Tuesday Banana Man”, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (representative, resized; not the Lacey officer). Illustrations: Gorilla Gazette / AI-generated, not real photos.
