An alleged dental hygiene burglary gone wrong resulted in a man being arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of toothpaste, police say.
The man attempted to run out of a Real Canadian Superstore with copious amount of toothpaste, the North Vancouver Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) tweeted May 29.
The RCMP said they were near the store for an “unrelated matter” and caught the man high-tailing it out of the Superstore emergency exit, followed by store staff.
Talk about being at the right place at the right time. On Friday, officers were near Superstore for an unrelated matter, when they observed a man running out of the emergency exit followed by staff. Officers jumped into action, arrested him and returned $2100 worth of toothpaste. pic.twitter.com/bCuAiaRNMb
— North Vancouver RCMP (@nvanrcmp) May 29, 2023
The “unrelated matter” was a traffic stop that occurred adjacent to the Superstore, Const. Mansoor Sahak told North Shore News. The RCMP were able to hear the alarms go off inside the store. (RELATED: Couple Arrested After Allegedly Sending 3-Year-Old To School With Makeup Covering Black Eye)
Police found an array of toothpaste tubes in a red wagon and two duffel bags, according to the outlet.
“It was one of those moments where we were just in the right place at the right time,” Sahak said, according to North Shore News, noting “it’s likely the suspect would have gotten away if police weren’t already nearby.”
One Twitter user was apparently curious as to what “$2100 worth of toothpaste looks like,” and the RCMP followed up with an image of the alleged theft:
Ask and you shall receive. pic.twitter.com/DPQsMdXVvs
— North Vancouver RCMP (@nvanrcmp) May 29, 2023
It is currently unclear as to why the alleged culprit took the toothpaste.
Sahak said he assumes the man intended to peddle the tubes in Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, for a “fraction of the cost,” North Shore News reported.
The identity of the alleged shoplifter has not been released at the time writing.