Criminal Falls From Store Ceiling After Police Pull Away Ladder As He Tries To Climb Back Up

A man fell onto a mattress after police pulled away a ladder to stop him from climbing back into a department store ceiling at Vancouver Mall on Wednesday, September 30.

Body-worn camera footage released by the Vancouver Police Department shows the shirtless man emerging through a broken ceiling tile as officers and firefighters work to get him down. Employees had called police after spotting him crawling through the ceiling and breaking tiles.

The man continued moving through the overhead space, damaging lights, wiring and fixtures. The second floor was cleared as officers repeatedly told him to come down.

After more than an hour, he stepped onto a ladder but then tried to climb back into the ceiling. Officers pulled the ladder away, and he fell onto the mattress below. He got up and tried to run but was caught by officers.

Police identified the man as Gabriel Hideo and said he was booked for first-degree malicious mischief, first-degree burglary and a felony warrant. The charges are allegations, not convictions.