Kent Police said a 58-year-old man was arrested Sunday after parishioners spotted stolen property from their church and chased him to a rooftop near a Home Depot.
According to police, the burglary happened around 2:30 a.m. at a church on Kent’s East Hill.
A staff member arriving later that morning discovered the lock on a storage trailer had been cut off and two pressure washers, along with smaller items, were missing.
Surveillance video showed a man breaking in after cutting through an iron security gate.
Hours later, church members saw a man in the parking lot of the Kent Home Depot attempting to sell the same pressure washers.
Police said the man dropped one and ran when the group recognized him.
The parishioners followed him across the lot until he scrambled up the side of the Asian Pacific Market next door.
One member climbed a tree to keep an eye on him and shouted updates to officers arriving at the scene.
Officers confirmed the man had no way down without help.
Kent Police said Puget Sound Fire responded with a ladder truck, allowing officers to climb onto the roof.
Surrounded by police above and parishioners waiting below, the suspect surrendered.
Police said the man was frisked for weapons on the roof, then escorted down and taken into custody without incident.
The stolen pressure washers were recovered.
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