WOODLAND — Woodland police are searching for a suspect they say rappelled inside a Walmart on Christmas Day in an attempted jewelry heist.
The suspect reportedly left behind a rope and carabiner dangling from the ceiling, as well as thousands of dollars worth of jewelry after being scared off by an alarm.
Sgt. James Keller of the Woodland Police Department said in all of his 16 years in law enforcement, he has never seen a burglary like this.
At 7:54 a.m., Woodland police officers responded to the Walmart located at 1486 Dike Access Road after the retail store’s alarm went off. When officers arrived, Keller said they found a store door unlocked.
The officers came upon a “climbing rope” dangling from a rooftop entrance, as well as a backpack left behind in the big box store’s grocery section, he said.
In a “Mission: Impossible”-like stunt, investigators reportedly believe the suspect lingered around the store’s exterior for a few hours before climbing onto the roof and rappelling down the skylight and cutting security mesh along the way.
In a press release, Keller writes that the suspect left “jewelry scattered between the backpack and jewelry counter.” In total, the suspect abandoned $5,140 worth of jewelry after he activated the security alarm at the jewelry counter and dropped the stash.
Keller said the security cameras did not capture the suspect’s vehicle or physical description.
