INSIDE EDITION spoke with Jeremy Meeks, the man in the handsome mugshot that's gone viral, to get his side of the story.
The tattooed hunk whose mugshot is making him a worldwide sensation is speaking out, and he's appealing to his legions of female admirers for help.
INSIDE EDITION spoke to Jeremy Meeks at the jail in Stockton, California where he's being held on weapons and gang-related charges. Cops are upset at people fawning over the hunky dude. They say he's a" "violent street terrorist."
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Meeks told INSIDE EDITION, "I'm not what the police portray me to be."
A tattoo on his right forearm says "Crips," which suggests that he's a member of the notorious street gang The Crips.
And that teardrop tattoo on his face has different interpretations. It could either mean: A) He's lost a loved one to a violent crime, or B) That he was involved in a gang killing. He has never been charged with murder, but he has served time for grand theft.
But Meeks says that's all in his past. "I'm a family man, a husband, I'm a father and I'm a hard worker," he told INSIDE EDITION.
He claims he quit the gang seven years ago and now works in a warehouse for minimum wage. He says he's a devoted husband and father of two kids.
"I'm flattered by everything you guys say about my looks, but the situation is bad," said Meeks.
His mother is trying to raise money for his defense on the crowdfunding website www.gofundme.com.
"He has old tattoos which cause him to be stereotyped," she wrote. "Please help him to get a fair trial."
So far his supporters have pledged $3,740, a far cry from his $1 million bail.
