A man accused of burglarizing an Atlanta food mart several times entered the business through the roof Monday and fell straight through, authorities said.
Surveillance footage of two of the recent burglaries was released by Atlanta police Tuesday, a day after officers responded to Reggie’s Food Mart on Dill Avenue regarding a break-in. At about 1:20 a.m., officers said they discovered that the suspect caused significant damage when he fell through the ceiling. The burglar, who authorities are trying to identify, is accused of damaging the cash register and stealing cigarettes.
Monday’s footage appears to show pieces of the ceiling falling and the suspect diving onto the floor head-first, barely catching himself. A bag containing several items also falls through the ceiling, according to the video. Several wires can be seen hanging, and eventually the camera shuts off at 1:11 a.m.
A different camera grabs footage of the suspect trying to kick a door down just a minute later. Police did not say how the suspect was able to get out of the store after the incident.
The suspect is also accused of burglarizing Reggie’s on July 4 and 6.
Footage of the July 6 incident shows the man enter an area of the food mart and break into the cash register. The ceiling appears to have partially collapsed, but police did not say if the suspect caused that damage. Footage was not provided of the July 4 break-in.
The store owner told Channel 2 Action News that the suspect was able to climb up the outside of the building to get to the roof. He added that the repair costs far outweigh the price of the items and cash stolen. The store is temporarily shut down.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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