‘He’s very lucky’: Shoplifting suspect falls off 70-foot embankment in Lincolnton

LINCOLNTON, N.C. — A shoplifter had to be rescued after falling off a 70-foot embankment while trying to get away from police on Friday.

It happened at the Walmart off Business 321 in Lincolnton.

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon spoke with officers who pleaded with the suspect not to risk his life.

“He’s lucky, that’s for sure. He’s very lucky,” said Lincolnton Fire Battalion Chief Brent McConnell.

The police department said they received reports about a man stealing a knife and a few other times before running to the edge of the parking lot.

Upon arriving at the Walmart, an officer told the man that going over the fence wasn’t worth it. He said he begged the man to come back up.

The suspect then scaled a few feet down the fence before falling nearly 45 feet to the ground in a remote area.

“We were fortunate to be able to use a powerline right of way, which was pretty open,” said McConnell.

Rescue crews said they had to drive almost two miles to reach a spot where they could hike in to rescue the suspect.

“Basket, backboard, load him up, and bring him out through with an all-terrain vehicle,” McConnell explained.

Traffic had to come to a stop on General’s Boulevard as an ambulance drove from that remote road. The suspect was eventually airlifted to Atrium Main in Charlotte for treatment of his injuries.

The responding officer said the suspect allegedly took around $180 worth of things. He said he originally planned to just write him a citation, but instead, the man ended up risking his life.

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