A couple in Oregon were so terrified that someone had broken into their home while out for an afternoon walk that they called the Washington County sheriff’s office in abject terror — but it turns out they were actually being “burgled” by a robotic vacuum.
Buzzfeed news reports that Washington sheriffs “responded with guns drawn” and entered the home with extreme caution following a harrowing phone call from a pair of residents who said they could hear “rustling noises” in a bathroom, and could see shadows moving from underneath the door.
“Resources were immediately deployed: three seasoned deputies — one with at least 20 years on the force — a detective who happened to be in the area, and two canine officers from Beaverton Police Department, about 7 miles outside Portland,” NPR added. “They surrounded the Cedar Hills house, then made their way inside, guns unholstered.”
Officers yelled for the offender to give himself up, but he “wouldn’t come out…he wouldn’t say anything,” and as law enforcement officials neared the suspected scene of the crime, they noticed that what was once a “rustling” was now a “banging…[l]ike a loud thud, thud, thud on glass” as if they offender were trying to escape through a window to the outside.
“With guns drawn, deputies open the door to encounter the suspect…an automated robot vacuum,” a statement from the Washington County sheriff’s office said, without irony.
It turns out the couple who called police were house-sitting for their nephew, and while they were out walking their nephew’s dog, their nephew’s Roomba robotic vacuum began its scheduled cleaning. Somehow, it managed to trap itself in the bathroom, where it gave the floor a very thorough cleaning while trying to force its way out.
Officers were reportedly relieved.
“Everyone just started cracking up. It was such huge relief because it’s the kind of situation that could go either way. It could end peacefully or …” Sgt. Danny DiPietro, a spokesman for the Washington County sheriff told NPR. “No one had any idea what was waiting for them behind the door but they definitely didn’t expect that.”
They were particularly thankful that the “offender,” who had resisted even the threat of two attacking K9 officers, turned out to be a robotic vacuum cleaner and not a hardened criminal.
As for the two people who called the cops, they told police they felt “awful.”
Law enforcement was, however, forgiving.
“I would have done the exact same thing if I was visiting someone and didn’t know there was a robot vacuum cleaner that was set to go off on its own,” DiPietro told media. “And even the responding officers, when they saw the shadow under the door and the sound of someone trying to get out … well, they fell for it too.”
When the Washington County sheriff’s office boasted of their takedown on Facebook, the vacuum puns rolled in, as fans of the law enforcement bureau applauded the officers for “cleaning up” the city and “catching the sucker.”
Roomba’s parent company, iRobot, did not comment on the matter, but this isn’t the first time a robot vacuum has been involved in a caper. Although no Roombas have eve been arrested, one unlucky vacuum in Arkansas created a very stinky situation for a pet owner back in 2016.