Case of the Washington Walmart Bumbling Burgler Still Unsolved

You may have seen a video of a burglar repelling into a Walmart in the middle of the night to steal jewelry like in a Hollywood heist movie. Did you know that Walmart is located in Woodland, Washington and the case is still unsolved?

Burglar Rappels Into Woodland Washington Walmart

On Christmas day last year, it wasn't Santa sneaking presents but a man dressed in all black trying to steal presents from a Woodland Washington Walmart. The thief climbed on the roof, pried open a skylight, and rappeled into the store. Police know the man had wandered around the outside for a few hours by checking the security footage.

The Thief Heads for the Jewelry Counter

With an entire Walmart to steal from, the thief heads straight to the Walmart jewelry counter and quickly loads up a black backpack with everything he can grab. You can see in the released security footage that the man was in a hurry but then something stops him and he suddenly stops.

The Security Alarm Goes Off in the Store

The security alarm for the store suddenly goes off and the burglar abandons his post and bolts with his bag of loot. The Woodland police say the bad held $5,140 in jewelry and to this point, things had gone relatively well for the thief. This is where his whole plan fell apart with one hasty decision.

The Thief Leaves Behind His Loot

After going through all the trouble of getting on the roof, rappeling down into the store, and stealing a bag of jewelry, he drops the bag and runs out of the store. The bag was still sitting in the middle of the aisle where the thief left it when police showed up a short time later. They had received a commercial alarm at Walmart and had found one unlocked set of doors. Inside they found the rappelling rope, the bag, and one funny story in the security footage.

The Case is Still Unsolved

Even though the thief left the loot at the end, the police still do not know who this bumbling burglar is. They think the thief is a man but nothing in the footage tips the authorities on who they might be. They do think that this is the kind of crime that the thief might talk about to their friends to brag. If you know any information about this case, contact the Woodland Police Department by phone at (360) 225-6965 or by email at Police@woodlandpd.org.