Colorado cops nab burglar who tried to use Uber to getaway after stealing $8K in electric tools
By: A Colorado suspect carrying more than $8,000 worth of stolen items from a plumbing store was detained after police caught him attempting to use an Uber as a getaway vehicle.
The man was stealing tools from a plumbing store in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, last week when he requested an Uber to pick him up.
Wheat Ridge Police responded to the store after the owner called 911 to report that a hole had been cut in the property's fencing and told officers that the store's surveillance footage captured the suspect inside stealing tools.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found an Uber driver waiting nearby who told them his passenger, Jose, was headed toward the vehicle.
"Are you looking for an Uber?" an officer asks the suspect in body camera footage released by police.
The suspect, who was seen wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood up and a black ski mask pulled down, looks away and puts his hands inside his pockets.
"Uh… no," he hesitantly answers.
The man then claims his name is "Raul" and takes several steps backward, away from the officers. The officers immediately grabbed him, but he told them he was not attempting to make a run for it.
He maintains his innocence and says he was walking to his mother's house.
Officers informed him that he matched the description of the thief, but he insisted that he was not the man they were looking for.
The suspect was not carrying any identification to show his name is "Raul" and officers looked inside his backpack and found the stolen tools.
More than $8,600 worth of electric tools were found inside the suspect's backpack.
"It may not be the best idea to have an Uber pick you up AT the crime scene," Wheat Ridge Police wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He was taken into custody and fingerprint scanners confirmed he is Jose. He was booked the next day on several charges, including theft of more than $2,000, criminal trespassing and false reporting to authorities, court records show.