In an incident that blurred the lines between a high-stakes crime and slapstick humor, the affluent streets of Beverly Hills, famously encapsulated by the iconic 90210 zip code, became the unlikely stage for a burglary attempt that ended with a splash.
The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) recently shared a startling yet amusing piece of drone footage capturing an alleged burglar’s precarious dance with gravity, a ladder, and an unsuspecting swimming pool.
On the sunny afternoon of January 6th, in the serene 300 block of South Palm Drive—a neighborhood no stranger to the comings and goings of the rich and famous—a man later identified as 36-year-old David Verdun of Inglewood found himself in a less than glamorous situation.
The footage, which has since gone viral, begins with Verdun making an unorthodox exit from a residence through a window, only to find his escape route via a tall ladder over a garage to be fraught with danger.
The BHPD’s Instagram post, cheekily captioned “Burglar caught in 4K. Best comments get pinned,” showcases the moment the ladder betrays Verdun, slipping away and sending him flailing into the pool below.
The video has not only captured the attention of thousands online but has also sparked a flurry of witty exchanges among social media users. One of the top comments humorously suggested that “that Malibu quake must have really hit hard!” while another commended the drone operator for presumably suppressing laughter during the filming.
Despite the homeowner’s absence, interior security cameras allowed for real-time monitoring of the break-in, enabling a swift response from the authorities. The BHPD, informed by additional insights from the Real Time Watch Center drone pilot, arrived promptly on the scene, leading to Verdun’s arrest on charges of burglary.
This unusual tale from Beverly Hills serves as a vivid reminder of the unexpected turns that crime (and attempts to combat it) can take in the digital age. It underscores the growing importance of surveillance technology in both deterring criminal activity and providing a few unintended laughs along the way.
For Verdun, the incident proved that a misstep on a ladder could lead to more than just a physical fall—it also plunged his attempted burglary into watery failure, making him the subject of a story that will be retold far beyond the manicured lawns of Beverly Hills.
