VANCOUVER -- Bizarre surveillance video has emerged that appears to show someone trying to steal a Christmas tree from a yard in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.
But the holiday heist doesn't last long before an RCMP cruiser shows up with its lights flashing.
Chilliwack resident Rob Iezzie uploaded the video to YouTube, and told CTV News he woke up shortly before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to see the red and blue glow in his window.
His video shows the alleged thief, who appears to be a woman, walking up to a property near Reeves Avenue and Rotary Street before starting to wrestle with a tree in the shrubs.
“She literally took that thing down with her bare hands,” Iezzi said.
Minutes later, the woman finally manages to pull off a large branch from the tree only moments before an RCMP cruiser drives right by her.
The woman walks only a few metres before the vehicle returns with its lights on.
The video appears to show a police officer confront the woman before leading her into the back seat of the cruiser and driving away.
“There has been a lot of theft here in Chilliwack. A lot of people out here are getting their Christmas stuff stolen, from lights to decorations,” said Iezzi, assuming the tree thief may have been looking for a Christmas tree.
CTV News has reached out to Chilliwack RCMP for more information.