A late-night wrong-number text turned into a viral comedy bit when a stranger in Gulfport, Mississippi, accidentally messaged a police officer to set up a get-together to “smoke” — and the officer played it perfectly. The Gulfport Police Department later shared the screenshots on its Facebook page, and the internet did the rest.
The exchange unfolded around 10 p.m. on a Friday night, when someone who clearly believed they were texting a friend asked what the recipient was up to. They had no idea their message had landed on an officer’s phone.
“Chillin, hbu [how about you],” the officer replied.
“Wanna smoke,” the sender wrote.
The officer gently tried to wave them off: “I don’t think I’m going to be able to smoke with you.”
“Bruh, we smoke all the time,” came the reply.
The officer pointed out that they probably had the wrong number, but the sender wasn’t buying it.
“Bruh, stop cappin [lying or joking],” they texted.
Rather than keep typing, the officer settled the matter with a single image: a photo of himself holding up his police badge.
“No cap [lie or joke],” the officer captioned the badge photo — flipping the sender’s own slang right back at them. According to reports, the person never responded after that, and the department did not share their phone number.
Along with the screenshots, Gulfport police offered the public a tongue-in-cheek reminder. “Pro tip: Before you send the text, double-check the number,” the department wrote. “Nothing like a wrong number text to really spice up someone’s day.”
The post quickly racked up reactions. “Literally, I would’ve changed my number THAT MOMENT!!!” one commenter wrote. Another added, “The way I would have thrown my phone across the room when I got that picture! I would have been scared to pick it back up for the rest of the day! I’m second hand embarrassed for this person.”
The moment fits a now-familiar playbook: police departments across the country increasingly use humor and meme-friendly posts to connect with their communities online, and a good-natured wrong-number story is exactly the kind of content that travels. It also doubles as a low-key cautionary tale, given that recreational marijuana remains illegal in Mississippi, where only a medical cannabis program — established under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act signed in 2022 — operates within strict limits. That stands in sharp contrast to states that have embraced full legalization, such as the booming market detailed in our report on how Ohio’s legal cannabis sales took off, and it’s a reminder that cannabis culture still produces its share of memorably awkward run-ins with the law.
For the anonymous sender, the lesson was delivered instantly and unforgettably: when in doubt, check the contact before you hit send.
