Recently-released dashcam footage from February apparently shows police officers arresting a Florida man who swallowed an expensive diamond during his apprehension.
The Smoking Gun reported that Florida Highway Patrol stopped Jaythan Gilder, 32, on Interstate 10 in Chipley. The stop was related to an alert, issued earlier that day, about a robbery at a Tiffany & Co. store at The Mall of Millenia in Orlando.
Gilder allegedly stole four diamond earrings — totaling $770,000 — by falsely identifying himself as a representative for an NBA player who was interested in purchasing diamonds. The lie got him to the store’s private room, where he snatched the diamonds and fled, according to The Smoking Gun.
In the dashcam footage, a trooper put his hand around Gilder’s neck and ordered him to spit out the diamonds in his mouth. Police initially believed he swallowed illegal narcotics while while being taken to the squad car — but it was determined a white residue on his lip was from a cold sore medication.
One of the troopers was filmed saying he would tase Gilder if he did not spit out what is in his mouth. Gilder was transported to the hospital after troopers concluded he likely swallowed the stolen diamond. However, Gilder refused to be x-rayed
The Smoking Gun reported that a scan conducted in jail uncovered suspicious items in Gilder’s body. The diamonds allegedly passed Gilder’s system two weeks later despite him claiming the entire time that the foreign items in his body was metal from food he ate.
Gilder has a lengthy criminal history which includes prior arrests for robbery. The Smoking Gun also reported that he possibly swallowed stolen earrings two other times before the incident in Florida.
In 2022, Gilder was shot by a jewelry store owner in a Colorado. While hospitalized, he reportedly learned some earrings in his possession would be taken as evidence so he ate them. Three scans conducted at the time did not detect the missing earrings.
While in custody for the Tiffany diamond theft in Florida, Gilder passed two earrings that were not expensive and virtually untraceable. Authorities do not believe those earrings were from the Florida Tiffany & Co store. He reportedly passed a third earring — which came from the Florida robbery — later that day. The second Tiffany diamond passed his system two days later, according to The Smoking Gun.
Gilder is charged with robbery and grand theft. He remains jailed.
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[Feature Photo: Florida Highway Patrol]
