Caught in the act: Suspects found hiding in ceiling of business they just burglarized

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Two burglary suspects were arrested by Milwaukee police Wednesday, July 30th after they were found hiding in the ceiling of the business they had just burglarized.

Officers from District Five were conducting a business check at a store in the 2400 block of N. Martin Luther King Drive at about 4:45 a.m. on July 30.

As the officers approached the store, they noticed the lights on the sign were shut off which was unusual since the business had 24-hour security lighting.

The officers saw the electrical meters on the side of the building had been disabled, which had also happened in previous burglaries at the same location.

The officers then  contacted the store’s key holder, and once inside, discovered a burglary had taken place.

There was debris and empty shoeboxes on the floor along with black plastic bags filled with merchandise.

The employee and officers proceeded to the building’s roof -- where they found a hole had been cut.

As officers were investigating inside, the employee, still on the roof, yelled to the officers that he saw a subject inside the roof.

One of the officers climbed into the hole on the roof and saw two subjects standing on the rafters.

One subject lost his footing and fell through the drywall ceiling into the store. He denied medical attention.

Both subjects, a 20-year-old Milwaukee man and a 28-year-old Milwaukee man, were taken into custody.

The 20-year-old suspect is a convicted felon.

MPD will present this case to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the coming days.