Police say burglar climbed on roof and 'made it rain' with stolen checks



SEATTLE – A 33-year-old man picked an odd time to “make it rain” on Sunday, Seattle police said.

It came right after he climbed up on the roof of a house, and just before he stripped off half his clothes, smoked a cigarette and got arrested for possession of stolen property, property damage and identity theft.

Seattle police were called to a house in the 2800 block of Boylston Ave. E.  at around 11 a.m. on Sunday by a woman who said she’d locked herself in her closet after she heard somebody in her house. They said when they got there, they found the man carrying a few bags out of the house.

Police said the man made eye contact with one of the officers, then went back inside, slammed the door and climbed through a skylight to the roof. Once he was on top, he “made it rain,” scattering a bunch of stolen blank checks and loose change down on the ground below.

A s he was doing that, police went in the house, helped the woman out of her closet and positioned themselves around the skylight. They said the man then took of his jacket and his shirt, smoked a quick cigarette and climbed back in through the skylight, where he was arrested.

The police said they helped the woman track down all the checks and change, and that they also recovered about $10,000 in other things the man stole, including some expensive pens, jewelry and a laptop.