Burglar breaks into bank ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ style after hiding in ceiling, WA cops say
A burglary suspect hid in a bank ceiling for over 12 hours before holding employees hostage at gunpoint in Washington, police said.
The suspect cut a hole in the roof of the bank to enter the building, the Newcastle Police Department said in a Facebook post on Feb. 2.
Bank employees noticed a leak coming from the ceiling on Jan. 3 and called a roofing company to look at it, police said. The roofers noticed a hole on the roof and looked into it before the police were called.
Neither the police nor the roofers suspected someone was hiding in the ceiling, authorities said.
But it was later revealed a suspect had entered the bank from the ceiling “Ocean’s Eleven” style around 5:30 p.m. after police estimated they hid there for 12 to 13 hours.
Photos from police show the suspect standing on a piece of furniture from the hole in the ceiling, then jumping to the ground.
The burglar held three workers hostage at gunpoint and zip tied them to each other and to cabinets, police said.
The suspect demanded access to the bank’s vault, police said, but the workers said they couldn’t open it because of the security measures.
For several minutes, the burglar “terrorize(d)” the employees to open the vault before the suspect left through the front door, police said. The employees were not physically harmed.
Police have not been able to identity the suspect and are asking the public for help.
“We would like to bring some closure to these victims by identifying and arresting the suspect responsible for this and we need your help,” police said.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call crime stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tips can be made anonymously.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Burglar breaks into bank ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ style after hiding in ceiling, WA cops say."
