A CLUMSY thief’s attempt to make a hasty getaway ended up with him being taken to hospital after he fell off a roof of a business he was trying to break into. According to Marshall Security’s Kyle van Reenen, the thief who was seen trespassing the day before admitted he was stuck up on the roof for 24 hours.  The incident occurred on Beechfield Crescent in Springfield Park.

What’s more in his attempt to get down, the thief tied his jacket around a chimney and attempted to climb down, however he slipped and fell. He leopard crawled to the gate of the business complex and flagged down a passing Marshall Security vehicle.

“One of our patrols cars was driving around when he was flagged down by a man lying prostate on the floor waving his hands frequently. It was later discovered the thief was trespassing on Tuesday and in an effort to hide himself, climbed up to the roof. He was stuck there for 24 hours and tried to escape this morning by tying the jacket to one of the roof chimneys.

“He fell approximately five floors and was seriously injured. He then crawled to the gate and was unable to standup. A ambulance was called for assistance and the man was escorted to hospital under police supervision,” he said.

The incident comes a month after a Gateway shoplifter’s attempt to escape mall security also ended in disaster. He jumped off a first floor balcony breaking his leg in the process.