CCTV Footage has emerged which shows an alleged thief tumbling through a ceiling at a convenience store.
The video – taken in Alberta, Canada – shows the alleged thief falling from the ceiling tiles as plaster rains down in the coffee aisle.
Her fall is partially broken by some shelves, and she lands on her knees on the floor. She manages to put her hands forward to stop her face smacking against the hard surface.
She is apparently able to stand up and walk without too much trouble following the incident, before surrendering to police officers.
You can watch the shocking scenes unfold for yourself below:
The woman in the video has been named as 29-year-old Brittany Burke from Edmonton. She was arrested alongside 28-year-old Richard Pariseau after an unusual series of events at the Reddi Mart in Spruce Grove.
The incident began when Pariseau allegedly attempted to use a stolen credit card at the store on Monday afternoon. He had apparently been attempting to buy a can of pop.
One of the store owners, Bhagwant Chauhan, told CTV News:
My husband had tried to ask him ‘is that your card?’ he said, ‘it’s my girlfriend’s card.’
The owners became suspicious and contacted the police. However, after an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer arrived, events took a frantic turn.
Pariseau pushed Burke on top of the officer in an apparent desperate attempt to flee, losing his t-shirt in the process.
Bhagwant’s husband intervened to help the officer, stopping Pariseau from exiting the store. A topless Pariseau can then be seen running around the shop in a futile attempt to avoid capture.
Pariseau initially rushes to the back room to search for another exit, however he is left trapped when he discovers the rear exit door is locked, leading him to consider other strategies.
At one point, Pariseau appears to make an attempt to throw a bag of sunflower seeds at the officer. However, he can then be seen dropping the bag and lying down flat on the ground.
Meanwhile, Burke can be seen heading to the back of the store and climbed into the ceiling vent. It was at this point she crash-landed through the ceiling, having lost one of her shoes during her efforts.
At this point the chase was finally up, and Burke could be seen surrendering to officers.
Bhagwant – who is said to be ‘very proud’ of her husband’s attempt to help – told CTV News:
It was scary because suddenly you don’t know, you’re thinking the person is in the back but she is up on the roof.
Thank god everybody is okay.
Back-up eventually arrived at the scene and the pair were taken into custody.
Burke is now facing charges of obstructing a police officer, failing to comply with an undertaking and mischief under $5,000.
Pariseau is facing 11 charges, which include using a stolen credit card, resisting arrest and assault of a police officer.
Nobody was seriously injured during the strange incident.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.