Two accused shoplifters got a taste of their own medicine when they sought to clear out of the crime--and found that a passing malefactor had broken into their own car.

Security personnel were in the process of questioning Korin Vanhouten, 47, and Eldon Alexander, 36, at an Ogden, Utah WinCo supermarket, accused of stealing makeup, energy bars and batteries. At the end of the interrogation, they left with a citation for attempted shoplifting.

However, they soon stumbled on to the scene of a successful carlifting, with the awkward discovery that while they were in the WinCo, someone--or several someones--had broken into their car.

And as it turned out, the ironies were just starting to multiply. For Vanhouten and Alexander proceeded to report the ransacking of their vehicle to the same officer who had issued them their shoplifting citation.

In the process of leaving the WinCo lot, the officer came upon "the two suspects trying to flag him down in the parking lot," as Ogden Police Lt. Eric Young characterized the surreal moment for the Deseret News. "And he goes over to their location and realizes that their vehicle has actually been burglarized. They ended up having their stereo and amplifier, a drum machine and some cigarettes stolen from their vehicle," Young said.

The car break-in reportedly happened while the police officer's car was parked nearby.

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