Scared off by a burglar alarm, a man breaking into the North Bend Ace Hardware store early Thursday, April 18, left the store empty-handed. Security cameras in and around the building captured images of the man fleeing the store on a bicycle.

The man broke a window to get into the store, presumably to rob it, at 4:45 a.m. last Thursday. As soon as he entered the building, the audible burglar alarm sounded and the man fled.

It’s not clear what he was looking for in the store, because he was inside so briefly, said North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner, one of the officers on the case. However, the alarm did its job.

“All the store lost was the broken window,” said Toner, adding that he is a strong advocate of alarms, both silent and audible, for homes and businesses.

“From a protection standpoint, an audible alarm is the way to go,” he said.

Toner also advocates for security cameras, especially for businesses, although he points out that a home security system took the images last month of a pregnant woman breaking into a North Bend home. That woman is being sought in several burglary cases in several cities right now.

Ace cameras caught fairly good images of the suspect in last week’s break-in, although the man’s face is not very clear, and he may be wearing something over at least part of his face.

Police are describing him as about 5’9″, and wearing a dark-colored hoodie with lighter printing on the front and back, and jeans. He also wore dark gloves with reflective strips on the backs, dark shoes, and had a pouch hanging from his belt on his back. The bicycle appeared to be a drop-handled bike, with reflectors on the wheels.

Anyone with information on this suspect can call Sgt. Toner at 888-4433, or send an e-mail message to mark.toner@kingcounty.gov.

Camera footage shows the suspected burglar on a bicycle, leaving the ACE Hardware store early April 18.