Shoplifter Falls From Winn-Dixie Ceiling And Into Meat Case

[matcom]

<snip>

In an epic effort to escape after being caught shoplifting at a Slidell supermarket early Wednesday, police said, a man climbed above the store's false ceiling and raced around looking for a way out as police officers tracked him from the floor.

The man scrambled along a maze of steel beams supporting the ceiling, slipping occasionally and punching holes in the ceiling tiles with his feet before meeting his fate above the deli section.

He crashed through the ceiling and landed in an open meat case, where a police dog named Major latched onto his leg, dutifully ignoring all the juicy T-bones and rump roasts.

"This is one of the funniest and most bizarre cases we've ever had," Slidell police Capt. Rob Callahan said. "One of the officers said it was like chasing a rat through an attic."

It all started Wednesday shortly before 1 a.m. when employees were closing the Winn-Dixie at 3030 Pontchartrain Drive.

The employees had seen the last customer take several items from the shelves, but the man was empty-handed as he walked to the front of the store to leave, Callahan said.

When the employees asked him what happened to the items, the man, later identified as Devyn Coleman, 19, of Slidell, bolted and ran face-first into an automatic door that did not open because it had been locked, police said.

He fell to the floor dazed and was grabbed by a few employees, who took him to an office in the back of the store while the police were called, Callahan said.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-3/111467076166450.xml

[CottonBear]

1. LOL!

My in-laws live in the Slidell area. Gotta love Louisiana!

At least Slidell HAS a Winn-Dixie. Nearby Lacombe, LA lost its major chain grocery store when Super Walmart came to town. I refuse to shop at Walmart when I'm there.

[crispini]

9. Hey! My family's from around there.

Covington and Franklinton, mostly. :hi:

[CottonBear]

12. My hubby is a native of New Orleans.

They moved to Slidell in the mid 1960s. His relatives all live in the area. :hi:

[underpants]

2. Idiot all you have to do is get one of the bagboys to unlock the back

The one I worked in only had a pair of scissors in the latch. That is how we snuck all the loose beers out the back on Thursday nights for the weekend. Turns out the manager was robbing the place blind.

[matcom]

3. LMAO!!

think it was Schlitz?

[underpants]

6. Tuborg, Old Mil , Yes Schlitz, Private Stock, Mil.Best, Bud etc.

Usually the remnants of the lunchtime singles sixer the construction workers picked up.

[XNASA]

4. Look.......... It's called "Meat Diving".

We do it all the time at our house. People in Louisiana are so behind the times.

[TlalocW]

5. All that damage

Probably amounted to more than the $60.00 worth of stuff he tried to steal.

TlalocW

[youspeakmylanguage]

8. To society at large, it's about defending the law...

In this case it may seem ridiculous, but imagine how much it costs to end a hostage situation during a bank robbery, or how many FBI man hours it costs the American taxpayer to bring down a felony crime conspiracy.

There was a GREAT Bloom County cartoon about a guy hitting Opus the penguin up for money. He claimed that if Opus didn't give him the money, he would become a drug addict and it would eventually cost Opus more in taxes to pay for his jail time and rehab programs. Opus gave him the money.

[youspeakmylanguage]

7. If he didn't need the food, then he is an idiot and it's a funny situation

...but if he was hungry and/or homeless, I can't see joining in on the chucklefest.

[fryguy]

10. future Darwin Award winner?

something tells me this isn't the last, dumb thing this brianiac is going to do . . .

[miss_kitty]

11. New Orleans and environs are known for the overwhelming # of

Einsteins. Where else would you find a street named 'Clio' called 'CL 10" by life-long natives?

[Pacifist Patriot]

13. When is the lawsuit going to be filed...

against Winn Dixie and the contractor who installed the ceiling?