The natural instinct to flee when caught kicked into overload for one suspected shoplifter, who police say crawled into a supermarket’s ceiling after getting busted with $8.50 in stolen goods. Her urge for a refuge took a seven-hour police effort, complete with a SWAT team response and store evacuation.

Police in Baltimore County say the woman was stopped by security staff at the grocery store for allegedly swiping a bag of chips and some hair accessories, reports CBS Baltimore.

“They took her back to the loss prevention office, but she ran off when they found some needles in her purse. She ran to the back of the store, up onto a catwalk and then disappeared into the ceiling,” a police rep explained.

Law enforcement wanted to make sure the ceiling wouldn’t collapse on shoppers, and used a scissor-lift in their effort to extract her from her hiding spot. A few ceiling tiles fell but the store didn’t suffer any other damage.

She was taken to a local hospital after complaining that she was in pain after the incident.

Shoplifter Hiding In Ceiling Stole $8.50 Worth Of Goods [CBS Baltimore]

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