Four Denver burglary suspects were arrested when they unknowingly tried to sell stolen items back to the victim, police say.
Lacinda Robinson told 7NEWS reporter Russell Haythorn she knew something was wrong when she entered her home near downtown on Friday night.
“I walked into the house and felt a cold breeze, and I looked into the kitchen and the kitchen window was broken,” the 24-year-old mother said.
Robinson called police about the burglary, and explained that she would wait for them at a nearby McDonald’s parking lot because she didn’t feel safe staying in her home.
“I pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot and two guys approached my car and asked me if I wanted to buy a PS3, and I’m like, ‘Oh no, you know, I’m fine,’” Robinson recalled.
Then something bizarre happened.
“I see another guy walking out trying to approach my car and he’s wearing the jacket that I believe belonged to me,” Robinson said of a unique Washington Redskins jacket.
Suddenly it hit her: These guys are selling my stuff.
Instead of confronting the young men, she approached two off-duty Denver police officers at a neighboring gas station and told them what was going on.
Officers Matthew Reierson and Brian Husum responded and arrested the boys for investigation of burglary, the Denver Police Department said on its Facebook page. They also recovered the woman’s PlayStation 3 video game console and her jacket.
But it hasn’t been as easy for Robinson and her family to reclaim their sense of security in their own home.
“It’s a scary feeling, scary for my kids as well. We have not been sleeping here,” said Robinson, who is staying with a family member for the time being.
She’s still missing an iPad, a flat-screen TV and some cash, but overall she feels fortunate that no one was hurt.
People are cheering the burglars’ self-inflicted arrest on the police Facebook page.
“Karma!” one woman posted.
“Sweet justice!!! Hope she learns to feel safe again in her home,” another woman wrote.
“Love! Not mental giants. Well played Denver,” a third person posted.
