These Wild Asparagus Harvesters Were Mistaken for Violent Criminals

Suppose you saw a large group of men carrying knives and sticks and walking near the road in a rural area for indeterminate reasons. Would the sight worry you? What are they doing out there, with those instruments of harm, in this off-the-beaten-path territory? Might you think that their intentions could be sinister, violent, even murderous?

According to the Associated Press, one man in Ludwigslust, Germany, definitely had these concerns. Perhaps they were going out there to ritually sacrifice a virgin, or to torture someone for information about where they buried a chest of money.

When police in the area received the panicked phone call on their emergency line this past Saturday, they gathered not one, not two, but six police cars to speed out to the site of the pending crime and halt these 15 sure-criminals in their bloody tracks.

The only problem: there was no blood. The men in question were a group of asparagus harvesters, who were cruising along the country road on their way to take a lunch break after gathering up some nice, crisp stalks, maybe for rendering into a delicious quiche or risotto later.

Specifically, harvesting white asparagus, which is popular throughout Germany particularly at this time of year. The vegetable is typically harvested using a pole with a long knife attached to it—which can look intimidating to the unfamiliar eye. Police spokeswoman Stephanie Naedler told NBC News that the field to which the four squad cars and two undercover vehicles were summoned—in the open land between Hamburg and Berlin—is the site of a Dutch businessman's white asparagus crop.

This is far from the first time that a piece of produce has been mistaken for something far more dangerous. Last year, a Georgia man awakened to a helicopter flying over his property and heavily-armed police with dogs lined up at his door after his okra plants were mistaken for a marijuana-growing operation. There was also the incident earlier this year wherein a group of Chinese travelers were detained after the tofu in their luggage was thought to be blocks of meth.

If you see something, say something, sure, but first check to see if you're just freaking out over someone's choice of a healthy, plant-based snack.