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Fugitive's time on the run comes to spectacular end

A fugitive’s time on the run came to a spectacular end when he fell through a ceiling after trying to evade police by climbing on a roof.

A man, wanted over a police chase, fell through the bathroom ceiling of a home in Adelaide’s north east after climbing onto the roof to avoid capture.

Witnesses say he threw tiles at officers before he came crashing down with them.

An Adelaide fugitive’s time on the run has come to a spectacular end when he fell through the ceiling of a home in Adelaide’s north east. Source: 7 News
An Adelaide fugitive’s time on the run has come to a spectacular end when he fell through the ceiling of a home in Adelaide’s north east. Source: 7 News

Once inside, the man rifled through drawers and smashed a window.

“I heard him say ‘I’m not coming down’, and then he was going that way, this way,” neighbour Thomas Gaye told 7 News.

Fortunately, the woman who lives in the home was holidaying overseas at the time.

“It’s just a mess. We can clean the mess, but thank God my daughter wasn’t in the house,” the resident’s mother Guilia Petruzzella told 7 News.

The thief was trying to evade police by climbing on a roof, but his plan was foiled. Source: 7 News
The thief was trying to evade police by climbing on a roof, but his plan was foiled. Source: 7 News

The woman’s husband Pat agreed.

“Definitely glad she wasn’t home. She would’ve been hysterical,” he added.

It was not known if the man was armed, so Ms Petruzzella’s neighbour was told to evacuate her home.

She was forced to cower behind a nearby vehicle while others locked themselves indoors.

The man fell through the bathroom ceiling after taunting police by throwing tiles at them. Source: 7 News
The man fell through the bathroom ceiling after taunting police by throwing tiles at them. Source: 7 News

“It was just terrifying because you don’t know whether he was armed and to just see someone on the roof walking around you don’t know what what’s going on,” neighbour Norie Neri said.

It is the city’s third rooftop standoff in a week.

Just days ago a man was arrested after jumping from building to building in North Adelaide.

Two alleged copper thieves were caught on the roof of an apartment block at Parkside in a separate incident.