Yes, that was a guillotine in the back of a Miami-Dade police truck. Here’s why it was there

Yes, that was a guillotine in the back of a Miami-Dade police truck. No, it wasn’t real — it was actually a leftover Halloween prop.

Video went viral this week of an old-timey medieval execution device being transported in the back of a marked Miami-Dade police truck. The strange sight, in the middle of the day in South Miami-Dade, puzzled commuters and sparked memes on Instagram and Twitter.

“Ummmm..” read a video post of the truck uploaded to the popular Only in Dade Instagram account. “New consequences soon.”

Guillotines, of course, were famously used in France starting in the 1780s. The last person to die in France by guillotine was in 1977. But this one wasn’t used to lop off the heads of any Florida criminal.

The prop was used at the popular haunted house even hosted at the Kendall District police station every Halloween. A Miami-Dade police spokesman, Angel Rodriguez, wasn’t sure where it was being transported — but assured it was only meant to spook kids on Halloween.

The video was first posted by Jonathan Weiner, who runs the Empire Fitness Club in Homestead.

“With all the crime going on in Miami, I thought this is going to be punishment for anyone talking bad about them,” he said chuckling. “I just found humor in it.”

Miami Herald staff writer Charles Rabin contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 12:56 PM.