Video: Calif. Police Use Helicopter to Catch Suspected Rooftop Burglar
What to know
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Modesto police arrested a 40-year-old man accused of attempting to burglarize a Best Buy store after employees reported hearing footsteps on the roof, prompting an aerial response by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit.
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Deputies in the helicopter located the suspect on the roof and tracked him as he fled into a nearby neighborhood.
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The suspect was booked on suspicion of attempted burglary and probation violations, while investigators recovered burglary tools from the store’s roof.
Source The Modesto Bee
A Modesto man was arrested earlier this week after police say he climbed onto the roof of the Best Buy on Sisk Road in an attempted burglary that was tracked from above by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Air Support Unit.
Modesto Police Department spokesperson Sharon Bear said officers were dispatched to the electronics store on Monday after employees reported hearing possible footsteps coming from the roof.
Responding officers called in assistance from AIR101, the sheriff’s helicopter, which conducted a flyover and spotted a man sitting atop the building, Bear said. Video released by the Sheriff’s Office shows the air crew watching as the man later climbed down from the roof and ran into a neighborhood.
With coordination between AIR101, Modesto police patrol officers and the department’s Organized Retail Operations Team, the suspect quickly was located.
Police identified him as Oscar Llanos, 40, of Modesto. He was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted burglary and multiple probation violations.
Detectives also found burglary tools on the roof where Llanos had been sitting, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Information on whether the store sustained damage or whether additional suspects were involved was not immediately available.
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