Suspected Thief of Over $8,000 Worth of Tools from Colorado Plumbing Store Caught Trying to Use Uber as Getaway Car: Cops

A man in Colorado has been arrested after he allegedly stole more than $8,000 worth of items from a plumbing store and then tried to use an Uber as his getaway vehicle, according to authorities.

Local police said officers responded to a plumbing store in Wheat Ridge after the owner called 911 to report that a hole had been cut in the property’s fencing. The owner alleged his store’s surveillance footage captured footage of the suspect inside stealing tools.

On the scene, officers found an Uber driver waiting nearby who told them his passenger, who he identified as Jose, was headed toward the vehicle.

In body camera footage released by police, an officer can be seen approaching the suspect, dressed in a black sweatshirt with the hood up and wearing a ski mask pulled down, and asking, “Are you looking for an Uber?”

The suspect looks away from the officer, puts his hands in his pockets and answers no, the video shows.

The man tells officers his name is “Raul” and then begins to take several steps backward, away from the officers. The officers grab the suspect, who tells them he is not trying to flee, officials said of the video.

The suspect claimed to police he was innocent and was just walking to his mother’s house.

Officers tell the man he matches the description of the alleged thief, but the suspect claims he is not the man they were looking for, according to video and police.

The man had no identification indicating his name was “Raul,” and when officers looked inside his backpack, they found more than $8,600 worth of stolen electric tools, authorities said.

On social media, Wheat Ridge Police wrote, “It may not be the best idea to have an Uber pick you up AT the crime scene.”

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The man was taken into custody and fingerprint scanners confirmed his name is Jose, officials said.

He was booked on several charges, including theft of more than $2,000, criminal trespassing, and false reporting to authorities, officials said.