A thwarted burglary in downtown Los Angeles led to a game of hide-and-seek with the LAPD, resulting in one suspect being nabbed while another remains at large. Investigators were called to the scene at an industrial building off Lemon Street after an early-morning break-in was reported on Tuesday, as reported by FOXLA. Officers found one suspect covertly hiding inside the premises during their sweep of the property.
The drama escalated when police tracked down the second suspect on the roof of a nearby business at 1212 Lemon Street. The perp had concealed himself under a crate for hours after a hole in the rooftop suggested an illicit entry point. “It looks like they cut through the rooftop and got away with [what looks to be] a lot of merchandise…you can see bags and boxes scattered,” as stated by KTLA. Police helicopters and spotlights combed the area before the suspect was finally spotted.
As law enforcement efforts zeroed in, KTLA cameras captured live footage of the rooftop where the suspect camped out beneath the crate. After diverting momentarily to cover a bus fire in Monterey Park, the news outlet returned to find the suspect handcuffed and in police custody, thanks to assistance from a Los Angeles Fire Department fire truck which provided aerial access via ladder.
"That person in custody was hiding under the container for hours,” Prickett said. The scene concluded with the suspect descending from his high-altitude hideout on the LAFD engine ladder. Details on the apprehended suspect are scant while the search intensifies for the accomplice—whose description has yet to be released by police officials.
