A man who was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after he had to be rescued from a roof vent atop a DeKalb County shopping center will be charged with one count of criminal attempted burglary, police said.
Firefighters and police were called to a strip mall at 6746 Covington Highway in Lithonia around 9:20 a.m. to help the man after he became stuck and called for help, DeKalb officials confirmed. The man, who was not identified, was “extracted” and taken to the hospital, according to police spokeswoman Officer Elise Wells.
DeKalb fire spokesman Capt. Jaeson Daniels confirmed that firefighters removed the man, but no other details have been released. Officials did not share the nature of the man’s injuries.
Wells said Wednesday that police would not release the suspect’s name but confirmed that a criminal attempted burglary charge was pending against him.
Brittany Davis, a U.S. Army recruiter who heard the man calling for help and called 911, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she could hear him yelling when she arrived for work.
“I looked on the roof but couldn’t see anybody,” Davis said.
Davis said she walked behind the building and spoke with an employee of Little Caesars. The employee told her he could hear the man’s voice coming from inside the restaurant’s pizza oven.
Davis told the AJC she went inside Little Caesars and spoke with the struggling man, who told her he was in pain and having a panic attack. She called 911 just before 9 a.m. and said responding firefighters and police were able to remove the man with a group effort.
The Little Caesars location closed and its employees were sent home for the day Tuesday, Davis said.
In addition to Little Caesars, the strip mall is home to multiple restaurants, a Goodwill donation center and a computer repair and supply shop.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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