LOS ANGELES — Surveillance video shows a man who allegedly broke inside a cellular store in Pomona Wednesday and became trapped inside a secure area.
When the suspected burglar entered the store through an air-conditioning duct, an alarm was triggered, said Miguel Cega, owner of the Boost Mobile Store, KTLA reported.
The store was not stocked with merchandise because it was not yet open to the public. When the man seemed to realize this, he ran through a door that he may have thought was the exit. However, he found himself inside a hallway from which he could not escape.
Ceja said the secure area, complete with reinforced steel doors, was constructed after he and his business partners lost thousands of dollars worth of inventory due to burglaries at other stores.
When “that door shuts, you’re done … You’re not getting out of there,” Ceja said.
The video shows the suspected thief trying to escape for about 45 minutes by kicking doors and trying to break through one of them.
Police arrived at the scene and arrested him.