This video is all over TikTok. It shows D.C. luring wanted Redskins fans to the convention center by offering them free tickets. The clip says they were Super Bowl tickets, but they were actually free tickets to the Week 15 Redskins vs. Bengals game in 1985:

@thinksmartwealth

In 1985, the police sent free Super Bowl tickets to wanted criminals just to arrest them when they arrived to the stadium #thinksmartwealth #learnontiktok #chatgpt #wealth #superbowl #fyp #police #makemoneyfromhome

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Part 2:

@thinksmartwealth

Replying to @Robert J Florio In 1985, the police sent free Super Bowl tickets to wanted criminals just to arrest them when they arrived to the stadium (Part 2) #thinksmartwealth #learnontiktok #wealth #chatgpt #superbowl #police #fyp

♬ original sound – Thinksmartwealth

This is arguably the safest a Redskins cheerleader has ever been.

It’s hilarious to think DC police could never do this today. Not because the invention of social media and society getting smarter, but because you can’t even give Commies tickets away. Who wants to go to that dump in Landover? Definitely not 3,000 wanted fugitives. You couldn’t even give away 3,000 tickets to law-abiding citizens.

What a video. I remember they did this same thing for the Iron Bowl a couple years back to arrest people for unpaid child support in Alabama, via Christine Hull at AL.com:

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office orchestrated the Operation Iron Snare sting to arrest parents that were not paying their child support using the unorthodox quarterback sneak method. In April, they sent letters out to 140 wanted suspects saying that they had won tickets to the game.

All they had to do was bring a photo ID to a specified location to receive the tickets. Of course, there were no Auburn-Alabama football tickets at the site on Saturday, only warrants and handcuffs for the violators.

According to the report, each person arrested was behind on their child support payments anywhere from $35,000 to $75,000. The arrested violators owed a total of more than $270,000 in back child support.

If the cops were to do this in Philly, what would they have to offer? I don’t think free Eagles vs. Dallas tickets would work. Free Bruce Springsteen tickets though? Hook, line, and sinker.

ESPN did a short film on Operation Flagship for their 30 for 30 series if you want to check it out.