Sneaking around wearing dark clothing and dropping down into a room like some kind of Mission Impossible stunt might sound pretty cool, but guess what? It’s still illegal to cut a hole in the roof of a mall in an attempt to steal pricy sneakers. Cops in Houston say two teenagers were arrested for doing just that in a failed attempt to swipe Air Jordan sneakers.

The mall was closed early yesterday morning after a security guard spotted people inside a shoe store and called the cops. When the police arrived, they noticed someone had let themselves in via a hole in the roof. Of course we don’t know if they copied Tom Cruise’s spy moves or not, but how else do you get down from the roof to the floor but with a rope harness?

Up on the roof, investigators discovered more than a dozen pairs of the sneakers, which sell for $140 or more a pop, as well as the two teens. A third suspect fled and escaped arrest.

The kids have been charged with burglary and evading arrest.

Can we just ask what everyone must be thinking here? What was the roof of the mall made of that made it so easy to cut into — cheese? Cardboard? Tissue paper? We’re dying to know.

Texas mall roof cut, attempt to steal Air Jordans [Associated Press]

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