It happened at the Sunco Market Place gas station on De Priest Street near Saint Clair around 1:30am.
Surveillance cameras were rolling when the suspect smashed his way through the roof and lowered himself inside the store through the ceiling. Police say he then used a hammer to break into several eight-liner machines and steal the money.
Moments later, the man used a chair to climb back through the ceiling but fell.
Police eventually arrived. The suspect managed to climb out and run into a nearby neighborhood.
"He then saw the male jump off the back of the building and run into a backyard. He called other officers, set up a perimeter, used a K-9, however we were unable to locate the suspect," said Lt. Larry Crowsen with the Houston Police Department.
The suspect remains on the run.
