Two Would-Be Criminals Caught on Camera Trying and Failing to Break Hurricane-Proof Glass With Handgun

An armed smash-and-grab attempt failed when two would-be criminals realized they could not smash the windows of a home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, leaving them with nothing to grab. And the whole thing was caught on video.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department released footage of the botched criminal enterprise on Thursday, November 5, to its Instagram in an attempt to identify the suspects who didn’t take into account the possibility of hurricane-proof windows in Florida.

Panes that can handle gale force winds of 74 mph or greater aren’t going to give way to the butt of a handgun. Yet, that’s exactly what one of the suspects tried, repeatedly bashing at the glass with the weapon. When that failed, he started launching his whole body at the window, hoping he could bust through it with his shoulder.

At one point, this suspect, who was not wearing gloves, pressed his bare palms against the glass of the window in an attempt to push his way through it. The man was otherwise wearing a black hoodie, red track pants with white stripes running down the side.

His accomplice, who only used his hands in an attempt to see through the glass beforehand, was wearing white gloves, as well as a gray hoodie, black face mask, and black track pants. At one point, this second suspect looked directly into the surveillance camera.

After failing to gain entry to the home, police noted, both suspects fled the scene on foot. The “attempted armed burglary,” as the Fort Lauderdale PD described it on Instagram, occurred just after 6 p.m. on October 19.

Now, police are looking for help from the public to identify the two individuals in the footage.

“The window did its job,” police wrote in their post. “Now let’s identify who’s responsible.”

Anyone who recognizes either individual is asked to contact Detective B. Ledbetter of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at 954-828-6127 or via email at bledbetter@flpd.gov.