Arrests Spike for Brazilian Men Named John Lennon

You might know a man by the name of John Lennon as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century and popular music, but many Brazilians may know more than one guy with that name. What’s more, some Brazilian police officers are getting a bit too familiar with them. Three men bearing the name John Lennon have been arrested in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte in the past two months, and one more has turned up dead.

Authorities blame the name’s popularity on thousands of Brazilian mothers bestowing it on their sons after the original Lennon’s passing in 1980. It was only a matter of time before some of them got in trouble, it seems.

Most recently, 9-year-old John Lennon Ribeiro Siqueira was arrested before robbing a jewelry store. John Lennon Fonseca Ferreira, 22, was arrested during an attempted house robbery. John Lenon Camargos Gomes, also 22, is a convicted drug trafficker and was arrested for allegedly committing five murders and attempting two more. Poor 18-year-old John Lennon Sebastiao da Silva was found dead in a car last month.