Car Thieves Act Like They're in Mission: Impossible

Two thieves in Spokane, Washington have apparently watched too many action movies lately, fancying themselves stuntmen from films like Ocean’s 11 and Mission: Impossible by rappelling. Last week, a man reportedly wearing a knee-length fur coat and another wearing a straw cowboy hat rappelled into Northtown Auto Sales from the roof to nab a handful of keys.

The Spokane Police Department (SPD) said that the thieves then distributed the keys and recruited others to help steal eight cars (three BMWs, two Mercedes Benz models, a Dodge Grand Caravan, and a Nissan Titan) from the lot later that night.

Police were called at 10 a.m. the next morning after sales manager Johnny Arrotta arrived and noticed that cars were missing.

Arrotta told The Spokesman-Review that security footage showed the men coming through the ceiling on a rope “like out of a movie.” He also speculated that the criminals may have been the same ones who broke in once before to test the limits of the alarm system.

Two arrests have since been made; SPD says one was charged with eight counts of vehicle theft and one count of commercial burglary and the other with possession of a stolen vehicle, residential burglary, obstructing a law enforcement officer, and an outstanding felony warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle.

Since the burglary, the hole in the roof has been repaired and more cameras installed.
SPD says it has recovered all but one of the stolen vehicles and will continue the investigation with additional arrests pending.

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