VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Beach Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying a suspect who burgled the Market Express located at 1901 Independence Boulevard on October 26.
At approximately 4:50 a.m., the suspect gained access through the roof of the business. Surveillance video shows the suspect crashing through the ceiling tiles and falling to the floor.
The owner of Market Express, Himansu Patel, says he got a call from police that someone had broken into his store by crashing through the ceiling.
Patel says the burglar stole a couple of hundred dollars from the register, lottery tickets, and cigarettes. He says all together the burglar ran off with about $3,400.
Patel says the damage done to his ceiling and AC unit will cost him about eight to nine thousand dollars to repair, which is more than what the burglar got away with.
The suspect is possibly a white or Hispanic male who is between 25 and 35 years old. He stands between 5 feet 10 inches tall and 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs approximately 150-170 pounds. The suspect has a slight beard and mustache and was last seen wearing cargo shorts, a hooded sweatshirt and a knit cap or ski mask. The video footage suggests that he may be wearing prescription glasses.
Anyone who can identify the suspect in the video is asked to contact the Virginia Beach Police Department's Investigative Division at (757) 385-4101. You can also call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-U[ (1-888-562-5887) or text "VBTIP" and the information to CRIMES (274637).
