Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe HOUSTON, April 2 (UPI) -- Houston police said a man suspected of burglarizing a store tried to avoid arrest by pretending to sleep under a banana tree near the business. The Houston Police Department said Rick Hallberg, owner of R&R Jewelry and Loan, accessed security cameras from his home about 2 a.m. Thursday when he was alerted by the business' alarm. Advertisement Police Lt. Larry Crowson said investigators arrived on the scene and did not have a difficult time locating the man seen in the security footage. "Under a banana tree, next to the store, they found the suspect hiding with a backpack that had the laptops inside it," Crowson told KTRK-TV. Crowson said the man, whose name was not released Thursday morning, claimed to be asleep when he was confronted by police. He denied being involved with the burglary, but officers discovered three laptops in his backpack. "I don't know, it ain't me. I don't know, I really don't know," police quoted the suspect as saying. Crowson said the security camera footage shows the man making a hole in the wall of the store to gain entry. Advertisement Hallberg said he was relieved when the suspect was quickly found and the computers recovered. "It turns out he got three laptops, but they arrested him on the side of the building. It was a lucky night for us," Hallberg said. The suspect claimed while being loaded into a patrol car that he was mistreated by the arresting officers. Warning: Video Contains Strong Language
