Optimus Prime Blakely, a man with a Transformers-inspired name. is now behind bars in Austin, Texas for allegedly stealing a vehicle.
According to Fox7Austin, the 37-year-old is facing a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The man was stopped on Tuesday, June 4, in South Austin after authorities caught him driving a stolen vehicle. He was placed in custody on Congress Avenue near Radam Lane.
Optimus Prime Blakely remains in Texas’ Travis County Jail with a $8,000 bail bond.
According to the New York Post, the name “Optimus Prime” was made famous in the ‘80s cartoon series Transformers. The show eventually became an action-packed blockbuster franchise with Michael Bay directing the first films. There are seven films in total within the franchise.
Per its IMDb, the first film followed an ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, who come to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager. Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots and Megatron leads the Decepticons.
Both Autobots and Decepticons can go unnoticed by disguising themselves as vehicles.
A Man From Paraguay Once Opened Up About Being Bullied For His Name Being Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime Blakely isn’t the only person with a Transformers-inspired name it seems. In 2019, a man from Paraguay opened up about his struggles being named Optimosprayn Ismael Meza, which translates from Spanish to Optimus Prime.
While speaking to the Daily Mail, Meza reflected on being bullied for his unique name. “When I was a kid I was kicked out of class on my first day in sixth grade because the teacher thought I was the class clown,” he explained. “She told me that I was lying and that it wasn’t my name.”
Optimosprayn further explained that teachers who didn’t know him would reprimand him while the other students laughed.
His mother Yolanda Meza wasn’t exactly a big fan of the name as well. “His mother found it a little ridiculous,” Optimosprayn’s father, Victor, admitted. However, Victoria was persistent in wanting to name their son after the Autobots leader and eventually, Yolanda agreed.
Yolanda eventually supported her son getting a tattoo on his neck of the Autobots logo. Optimosprayn then said that he continues to carry an identification card with him to prove to others that it is his real name.
“I have got used to people making jokes,” he added. “The comments that are bad I just listen and laugh at now. And there are some that are funny. If you’re not going to laugh, it’s a lost day.”