Murrieta Police Find Theft Suspect Hiding Amid Boxes On A Shelf In Home Depot

MURRIETA, CA — A man accused of shoplifting from a Murrieta Home Depot was arrested this week after he was caught hiding within a shelf of Hampton Bay boxes, police said.

After a loss prevention employee reported the suspected theft, the Murrieta Police Department was called to the hardware store, the department said.

As the suspect was about to get into his truck in the parking lot, he saw the officers arriving, police said. The suspect then ran back inside the Home Depot, leading officers on a chase and a game of hide and seek, officers wrote on Instagram Friday.

"Officers noticed a pair of shoes sticking up behind the Hampton Bay boxes — the most obvious place to conceal oneself," the post read.

The man, who was not publicly identified, was taken into custody, according to the Murrieta police department.