Cops thought a burglar was fleeing after hearing a 'loud thud' from room—what they found instead left them speechless
Most professions hold some bizarre and humorous experiences that are remembered for a lifetime. The Washington County sheriff also witnessed a similar case when a civilian called regarding a burglar, per NPR. The complaint they received was that there was a loud and unusual noise and the officers immediately responded to the call. As they arrived at the scene, they wondered who could be responsible for the noise and why. None of their presumptions could have been even remotely close to what they actually saw. Sergeant Danny DiPietro, a sheriff's spokesman, revealed that they received the complaint at around 1.48 pm.
Time was not a suspicion, as “crime can happen at any time,” as per their experiences. "The man had just gone for a walk with his nephew's dog and when he came back, he could see shadows moving back and forth under the bathroom door," DiPietro recalled. The caller added that there was a rustling noise coming as well. What struck the officers was that the bathroom was supposedly locked. The call was taken as a priority and three police officers arrived on the scene. One of them happened to be nearby while the other two joined from a few miles away.
They surrounded the house and did their thorough check, being as careful as possible. They got their guns ready and began making their way to the bathroom. "And the whole time they were yelling, 'Sheriff' and 'Police' but the burglar wouldn't come out. He wouldn't say anything," DiPietro recounted. Despite their attempts to call out the person or get some response, there was only an increasing noise, just as it was when the concerned civilian made the call. With the noise getting louder, it sounded like a “thud on glass.” It probed the officers to think “that he was trying to open a window and jump out and run away."
The officers got ready with their guns and broke into the bathroom. They thought they’d find a person, a suspect, maybe more than one, maybe a dangerous one or just a rookie. To their surprise, it was a Roomba vacuum cleaner, moving around effortlessly and cleaning the place. No burglar, no robbery, no crime, just modern cleaning. "It was just this little round machine, slamming against the glass [shower] wall," DiPietro remarked. The officers burst into laughter, too speechless to say a word. "Everyone just started cracking up. It was such a huge relief because it's the kind of situation that could go either way. No one had any idea what was waiting for them behind the door but they definitely didn't expect that,” he added.
In a post shared on Facebook, the department noted that it took 25 minutes before they found the so-called culprit. DiPietro noted that the caller felt bad about making the complaint. However, the officer was glad that he took the initiative and didn’t stay silent. "I would have done the exact same thing if I were visiting someone and didn't know there was a robot vacuum cleaner that was set to go off on its own. And even the responding officers, when they saw the shadow under the door and the sound of someone trying to get out ... well, they fell for it too," he explained.
