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The California man who hid for 6 months in a secret room inside Circuit City

162 points by perpil 2y ago

deleted 2y ago
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deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
underseacables 2y ago
By the headline, I was surprised Circuit City was still business, but then saw that this actually occurred in 2004.
- irjustin 2y ago
  It was already abandoned by that point too.
kjs3 2y ago
No he didn't. He squatted in an abandoned store, went about town, joined a church, and had a (seemingly) pretty serious relationship. Headline makes it sound like he's Ceiling Cat, but with more stealth ninja.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
  From the article: > Over the course of seven months, the Roofman hit over 40 restaurants, mostly McDonald’s franchises, for a total score of $100,000. Armed with a gun and power tools, he drilled through the roof. Then, he would drop down from the ceiling, sometimes as far as 14 feet, and begin the holdup. I would probably never use the term “ceiling cat” unprompted, but if there was ever a person to which the term could be applied, it’s this guy. Not in the spying sense you’re implying, but clearly acclimated to ceilings
  - kjs3 2y ago
    Clearly my double meaning was missed.
ro_bit 2y ago
> After rounding up the employees, he would direct them to grab their jackets before herding them into the walk-in freezer. Once they were locked inside, he raided the store, then called police to alert them to the frigid workers. Aren't freezers designed to be very easy to get out of from the inside? Is there something I'm missing about confining people in a freezer? Maybe it blocks cell reception or he's blocking the doors
- OrigamiPastrami 2y ago
  https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1chqvq7/til_in_the_usa_60_people_die_from_walkin_freezer/ https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1chqvq7/til_... This was on the front page of reddit today.
  - HenryBemis 2y ago
    That is an interesting discussion. I'd go for a small door (opaque)/large window (transparent) that one can from the inside. A large triple glazed window ON the door (a smaller door ON a bigger door), a red/yellow light switch, a elevator-like ring/bell, a walkie-talkie permanently installed inside, a staff-count every 30mins. And then I am thinking that after 2-3 weeks all the people-dependent solutions would be abandoned...
    - wil421 2y ago
      No one is going to buy a fridge that expensive.
- defrost 2y ago
  As OrigamiPastrami notes there are real accidental deaths in specific freezers. That said most freezers by law have an internal quick release that should work even if there's a padlock through the secure holes on the outside latch. It's probable he has barricaded the door with something heavy and told the people inside that the first one out the door will be shot dead. Quora suggested jamming the extraction fans to stop the freezer working and potentially triggering a service alarm should the quick release not work: https://www.quora.com/What-if-I-accidentally-ended-up-locked-in-a-walk-in-freezer https://www.quora.com/What-if-I-accidentally-ended-up-locked...
antonvs 2y ago
> ... “The guy that every girl would want.” > They were soon dating, sharing dinners at Red Lobster I'm not entirely convinced that dinners at Red Lobster are what "every girl wants".
- kelnos 2y ago
  Wow, that's a really disgustingly elitist take. Pretty much everything wrong with some types of well-off/wealthy people is summed up in your comment. While I haven't been to a Red Lobster since I was a kid, that was always a treat back then, and it was one of the nicest places my parents could afford to take us on occasion.
  - antonvs 2y ago
    > While I haven't been to a Red Lobster since I was a kid Why not? Have you become “disgustingly elitist”? The scenario I responded to didn’t involve family meals with children. My original comment was referring to nothing other than the fact that the food at Red Lobsters is pretty terrible. It’s not about price - there are plenty of cheap restaurants that serve good food. See https://slate.com/business/2013/12/red-lobster-s-bad-food-problem-it-s-egregious.html https://slate.com/business/2013/12/red-lobster-s-bad-food-pr...
- cobertos 2y ago
  I mean, I wouldn't mind being taken out to Red Lobster. I've come to find too, partners who prefer whatever instead of having very specific expectations for time spent together are more comfortable to be around.
  - pinkmuffinere 2y ago
    I don’t know how to interpret this chain — is red lobster not fancy enough? For some reason I thought it was relatively fancy? Certainly not Michelin rated, but still
    - rob74 2y ago
Daub 2y ago
I once had a teaching job around 100 miles away from where I lived. I taught two days in a row so it made sense to stay overnight. Rather than rent a room I hid out overnight in an windowless store room. Personal hygiene was the first victim, but as I was teaching a smelly subject (painting) no one seemed to notice.
- blkhawk 2y ago
  You normally don't start to smell from one skipped shower if you bring clean cloths (mainly underwear) and can spritz some water in your face in toilets. Having Shorter hair and brushing your teeth at say the toilet sink would help as well.
  - KwisatzHaderack 2y ago
    > can spritz some water in your face in toilets I personally prefer spritzing my face with a faucet instead of a toilet.
    - yurishimo 2y ago
      English as a first vs second language in action! Also, much of the European world refers to a "powder room" as a toilet, which generally might only include the toilet bowl as well as a small sink for handwashing.
      - blkhawk 2y ago
        Guily as charged - I should have payed more attention to my wording.
      - kabouseng 2y ago
        Or water closet (WC)
      - BrandoElFollito 2y ago
        Which European language has this expression?
HenryBemis 2y ago
It would be super interesting if this man's psychoanalysis' notes are ever published. Did he ever think that he would be re-integrated back to society? Was he planning to steal someone's identity? Was he planning to live like this forever? Was he planning to build "a cabin in the woods" (Walden) and move there at a later age? What was his plan for when he reached the age of 60-70? A robbery of $100k isn't 'enough'. Was he plan to keep robbing once-per-year? I think the 'I lost focus' is very accurate and describes a lot on his life. At least he didn't kill anyone. I hope he finds the peace he needs.
- mcculley 2y ago
  I know a lot of people who are not planning ahead for old age. The Venn diagram of people who cannot think ahead and people who are incarcerated has a lot of overlap.
tromp 2y ago
> As Allen approached the dark spot, he saw a makeshift door, painted to blend in with the wall. Inside, he discovered the lair. This story reminds me of the movie "Inside Man" [1], where a bank robber hides with the loot behind a fake wall in the bank, until the police investigation is done, and he can just walk out. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
amelius 2y ago
> Manchester was sentenced to a staggering 45 years in prison for robbing the two McDonald’s, primarily due to kidnapping charges for each employee. If judges interpret the law so strictly, why don't we replace them by computers?
- spacecadet 2y ago
  You miss the point. We use intelligent humans because they are selected through a process of biased manipulation and uphold the powers of those whom selected it. A democratically controlled computer system that black and white follows the rules- would likely make this approach to control, less wieldy.
- sokoloff 2y ago
  It seems to me that the judge acted appropriately here. The employees were subjected to all necessary elements of the kidnapping statute.
- dsr_ 2y ago
  Kidnapping is defined for Federal purposes in https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201 "Whoever unlawfully seizes, confines, inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away and holds for ransom or reward or otherwise any person..." Locking people in a walk-in is pretty clearly "confines". For North Carolina's purpose: https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_14/GS_14-39.html https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySec... "Any person who shall unlawfully confine, restrain, or remove from one place to another, any other person 16 years of age or over without the consent of such person, ... shall be guilty of kidnapping if such confinement, restraint or removal is for the purpose of: (1) Holding such other person for a ransom or as a hostage or using such other person as a shield; or (2) Facilitating the commission of any felony or facilitating flight of any person following the commission of a felony; or" So, confinement which facilitates the commision of a felony and fleeing thereafter. Second: because we don't have human-equivalent AI, and if we did, why would you think that they would do better?
  - 2y ago

162 points by perpil 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

underseacables 2y ago

By the headline, I was surprised Circuit City was still business, but then saw that this actually occurred in 2004.

irjustin 2y ago
It was already abandoned by that point too.

kjs3 2y ago

No he didn't. He squatted in an abandoned store, went about town, joined a church, and had a (seemingly) pretty serious relationship. Headline makes it sound like he's Ceiling Cat, but with more stealth ninja.

SOLAR_FIELDS 2y ago
From the article: > Over the course of seven months, the Roofman hit over 40 restaurants, mostly McDonald’s franchises, for a total score of $100,000. Armed with a gun and power tools, he drilled through the roof. Then, he would drop down from the ceiling, sometimes as far as 14 feet, and begin the holdup. I would probably never use the term “ceiling cat” unprompted, but if there was ever a person to which the term could be applied, it’s this guy. Not in the spying sense you’re implying, but clearly acclimated to ceilings
- kjs3 2y ago
  Clearly my double meaning was missed.

ro_bit 2y ago

> After rounding up the employees, he would direct them to grab their jackets before herding them into the walk-in freezer. Once they were locked inside, he raided the store, then called police to alert them to the frigid workers. Aren't freezers designed to be very easy to get out of from the inside? Is there something I'm missing about confining people in a freezer? Maybe it blocks cell reception or he's blocking the doors

OrigamiPastrami 2y ago
https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1chqvq7/til_in_the_usa_60_people_die_from_walkin_freezer/ https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1chqvq7/til_... This was on the front page of reddit today.
- HenryBemis 2y ago
  That is an interesting discussion. I'd go for a small door (opaque)/large window (transparent) that one can from the inside. A large triple glazed window ON the door (a smaller door ON a bigger door), a red/yellow light switch, a elevator-like ring/bell, a walkie-talkie permanently installed inside, a staff-count every 30mins. And then I am thinking that after 2-3 weeks all the people-dependent solutions would be abandoned...
  - wil421 2y ago
    No one is going to buy a fridge that expensive.
defrost 2y ago
As OrigamiPastrami notes there are real accidental deaths in specific freezers. That said most freezers by law have an internal quick release that should work even if there's a padlock through the secure holes on the outside latch. It's probable he has barricaded the door with something heavy and told the people inside that the first one out the door will be shot dead. Quora suggested jamming the extraction fans to stop the freezer working and potentially triggering a service alarm should the quick release not work: https://www.quora.com/What-if-I-accidentally-ended-up-locked-in-a-walk-in-freezer https://www.quora.com/What-if-I-accidentally-ended-up-locked...

antonvs 2y ago

> ... “The guy that every girl would want.” > They were soon dating, sharing dinners at Red Lobster I'm not entirely convinced that dinners at Red Lobster are what "every girl wants".

kelnos 2y ago
Wow, that's a really disgustingly elitist take. Pretty much everything wrong with some types of well-off/wealthy people is summed up in your comment. While I haven't been to a Red Lobster since I was a kid, that was always a treat back then, and it was one of the nicest places my parents could afford to take us on occasion.
- antonvs 2y ago
  > While I haven't been to a Red Lobster since I was a kid Why not? Have you become “disgustingly elitist”? The scenario I responded to didn’t involve family meals with children. My original comment was referring to nothing other than the fact that the food at Red Lobsters is pretty terrible. It’s not about price - there are plenty of cheap restaurants that serve good food. See https://slate.com/business/2013/12/red-lobster-s-bad-food-problem-it-s-egregious.html https://slate.com/business/2013/12/red-lobster-s-bad-food-pr...
cobertos 2y ago
I mean, I wouldn't mind being taken out to Red Lobster. I've come to find too, partners who prefer whatever instead of having very specific expectations for time spent together are more comfortable to be around.
- pinkmuffinere 2y ago
  I don’t know how to interpret this chain — is red lobster not fancy enough? For some reason I thought it was relatively fancy? Certainly not Michelin rated, but still
  - rob74 2y ago

Daub 2y ago

I once had a teaching job around 100 miles away from where I lived. I taught two days in a row so it made sense to stay overnight. Rather than rent a room I hid out overnight in an windowless store room. Personal hygiene was the first victim, but as I was teaching a smelly subject (painting) no one seemed to notice.

blkhawk 2y ago
You normally don't start to smell from one skipped shower if you bring clean cloths (mainly underwear) and can spritz some water in your face in toilets. Having Shorter hair and brushing your teeth at say the toilet sink would help as well.
- KwisatzHaderack 2y ago
  > can spritz some water in your face in toilets I personally prefer spritzing my face with a faucet instead of a toilet.
  - yurishimo 2y ago
    English as a first vs second language in action! Also, much of the European world refers to a "powder room" as a toilet, which generally might only include the toilet bowl as well as a small sink for handwashing.
    - blkhawk 2y ago
      Guily as charged - I should have payed more attention to my wording.
    - kabouseng 2y ago
      Or water closet (WC)
    - BrandoElFollito 2y ago
      Which European language has this expression?

HenryBemis 2y ago

It would be super interesting if this man's psychoanalysis' notes are ever published. Did he ever think that he would be re-integrated back to society? Was he planning to steal someone's identity? Was he planning to live like this forever? Was he planning to build "a cabin in the woods" (Walden) and move there at a later age? What was his plan for when he reached the age of 60-70? A robbery of $100k isn't 'enough'. Was he plan to keep robbing once-per-year? I think the 'I lost focus' is very accurate and describes a lot on his life. At least he didn't kill anyone. I hope he finds the peace he needs.

mcculley 2y ago
I know a lot of people who are not planning ahead for old age. The Venn diagram of people who cannot think ahead and people who are incarcerated has a lot of overlap.

tromp 2y ago

> As Allen approached the dark spot, he saw a makeshift door, painted to blend in with the wall. Inside, he discovered the lair. This story reminds me of the movie "Inside Man" [1], where a bank robber hides with the loot behind a fake wall in the bank, until the police investigation is done, and he can just walk out. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

amelius 2y ago

> Manchester was sentenced to a staggering 45 years in prison for robbing the two McDonald’s, primarily due to kidnapping charges for each employee. If judges interpret the law so strictly, why don't we replace them by computers?

spacecadet 2y ago
You miss the point. We use intelligent humans because they are selected through a process of biased manipulation and uphold the powers of those whom selected it. A democratically controlled computer system that black and white follows the rules- would likely make this approach to control, less wieldy.
sokoloff 2y ago
It seems to me that the judge acted appropriately here. The employees were subjected to all necessary elements of the kidnapping statute.
dsr_ 2y ago
Kidnapping is defined for Federal purposes in https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201 "Whoever unlawfully seizes, confines, inveigles, decoys, kidnaps, abducts, or carries away and holds for ransom or reward or otherwise any person..." Locking people in a walk-in is pretty clearly "confines". For North Carolina's purpose: https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_14/GS_14-39.html https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySec... "Any person who shall unlawfully confine, restrain, or remove from one place to another, any other person 16 years of age or over without the consent of such person, ... shall be guilty of kidnapping if such confinement, restraint or removal is for the purpose of: (1) Holding such other person for a ransom or as a hostage or using such other person as a shield; or (2) Facilitating the commission of any felony or facilitating flight of any person following the commission of a felony; or" So, confinement which facilitates the commision of a felony and fleeing thereafter. Second: because we don't have human-equivalent AI, and if we did, why would you think that they would do better?
- 2y ago