The long arm of the law didn't need to extend very far to apprehend this bumbling hubcap thief; the man was observed by an officer arriving for a retirement party at a deli in Houston, Texas, attempting to steal the hubcaps off of a Cadillac.

Deputies told the Chron that they were holding a monthly meeting and retirement party at the deli. When a retired Houston Police Department officer arrived, he spotted a man, later identified as Deleon, squatting down beside a newer-model black Cadillac. He was using a screwdriver to take the center caps off the car's wheels, deputies said.

The officer confronted Deleon. Moments later about 30 deputies inside the deli heard a commotion and rushed outside to see what was happening. They saw the retired officer holding Deleon at bay.

Deleon was taken into custody. Deputies said he told them he had used the car of a customer at his workplace and stole the center caps from the wheel covers. They said he told them he planned to sell the caps to other customers at the business.

The caps were valued at a total of more than $400.

Assistant Chief Tim Cannon pointed out that if the "suspect driven his vehicle a little further into the parking lot he would have noticed a multitude of marked and unmarked police vehicles and may have chosen another path."