A man in California was arrested shortly after being rescued by police officers who heard him crying for help from inside a wall of a movie theater, where he had plunged from a height of several feet. Isaac Valencia, 30, was placed behind bars on Sunday shortly after he was freed from the adjoining wall between Maya Cinemas and a coffee shop called Brewje in Salinas, according to officials.
The Salinas Police Department (SPD) stated that some officers were getting coffee before ending their shift when they heard faint calls for help coming from somewhere nearby. Employees told the officers that they had heard something earlier, but the noise had stopped. The officers continued searching before realizing the yelling seemed to be coming from inside the wall between the coffee shop and the theater. "Officers knocked on the wall and to their surprise they got a knock back," wrote SPD. "That’s when they discovered Isaac Valencia trapped inside the wall."
Details of the Incident
According to initial information from the Salinas Fire Department, cited by KSBW8, Valencia fell from the roof of Maya Cinemas near the main sign into a 1-foot-by-2-foot opening. Officials estimated that the suspect plunged 22 feet before becoming trapped. The outlet added that he told officials that he could not move because he was stuck between metal beams. Valencia also reportedly told officers, who responded just after 6 a.m., that he had been on the wall since 9 p.m. the previous evening.
Rescue Operation
Emergency responders took approximately two hours to extract Valencia from the wall, leaving him trapped for nearly 12 hours. "Salinas Fire responded and initially cut into Brewje’s wall, only to find another layer of cinderblock and cement behind it," said officials. SPD added that firefighters had to cut open a large section of the adjoining wall to free Valencia. After he was freed, he was taken to a local hospital for a back injury before being arrested.
According to the outlet, he was brought to a local hospital for a minor back injury. After he was discharged, Valencia was booked into Monterey County Jail for burglary, according to SPD. "We’re glad this ended with everyone safely going home," wrote officials. "Great work by our graveyard Officers, even when tired, for trusting their instincts, staying persistent, and quite literally listening to the walls."
