A Colorado fraudster carrying thousands of dollars in stolen goods ended up in the hands of police after he was caught trying to use an Uber as a getaway vehicle, police said.
The botched robber was ransacking a plumbing shop in suburban Denver last week when he called a rideshare driver to pick him up.
The store owner noticed a hole in the store's fence and called 911, and surveillance footage captured the thief inside the store.
When local Wheat Ridge police arrived at the scene, they found an Uber driver waiting nearby.
He told police that his passenger, “Jose,” was heading towards the car.
“Are you looking for an Uber?” a police officer can be heard asking the suspect. Body camera footage shared by the department.
The man is wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood up and a balaclava pulled down, his eyes turned to the side and his hands in his pockets.
“Um, no,” he stammered.
He then gave the officers a false name, “Raul,” and took several steps back, away from the officers.
He was quickly apprehended by officers, but he was adamant that he had no intention of running away.
Jose maintains his innocence and claims he was just heading to his mother's house.
When told he matched the description of the thief, he claimed he was not the person they were looking for, even though he had no identification to prove he was “Raul.”
But the contents of his backpack exposed the flimsy pretense.
“This backpack is full of Milwaukee paraphernalia,” one officer can be heard saying as they scavenge for loot.
Police found more than $8,600 worth of power tools inside.
He was taken into custody and a fingerprint scanner confirmed his real identity.
“Having an Uber pick you up at the crime scene may not be the best idea,” Wheat Ridge Police said on social media.
A 26-year-old man named Jose was charged the next day with numerous charges, including theft over $2,000, trespassing and making a false report to authorities, according to court records.
