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(Video) Foiled dine-and-dasher falls through Burnaby restaurant ceiling

A 31-year-old woman’s attempt to skip out on a bill at a Burnaby restaurant by escaping through the ceiling ended unsuccessfully in March when she fell out right in front of a group of police officers.
ceiling, dine and dash
Police arrest a woman who tried to skip out on a restaurant bill by escaping through the ceiling in March, according to Burnaby RCMP.

A 31-year-old woman’s attempt to skip out on a bill at a Burnaby restaurant by escaping through the ceiling ended unsuccessfully in March when she fell out right in front of a group of police officers.

Burnaby RCMP were called to a restaurant in the Metrotown area after midnight on March 16 for reports a woman was climbing around in the ceiling, according to Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Mike Kalanj.

A video posted on the Burnaby RCMP’s Twitter page shows the woman dropping from the ceiling into the restaurant’s kitchen where officers had gathered to investigate.

Police determined the woman had been trying to avoid paying her bill.

“She had finished her meal; she went to the women’s washroom and then climbed into the vents,” Kalanj said.

The woman was not hurt during her fall into the kitchen moments later, according to police, and no charges were ever laid.

“After discussions with management and taking into consideration her life circumstance and struggles, other measures were taken and no criminal charges were pursued,” Kalanj said.

For the past few months, Burnaby RCMP has been featuring stories about local frontline officers “in an effort to give the public a look at the incidents our officers respond to every day,” according to Kalanj.

“This is just another example of what officers are dealing with on a daily basis,” he said. “Yeah, we don’t see this situation every day, but, if you can think it, we’re going to something that is like it.”

Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com