ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Elk Grove Police came up empty handed after searching a popular shopping center for a burglary suspect.

The five-hour search started after a burglary alarm at the Cold Stone Creamery near Laguna Boulevard at around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Officers thought they had the suspect cornered as they surrounded the shopping complex.

"They gave chase and set up a pretty large perimeter to try to contain him," said Det. Casey Robinson. "Officers observed a subject on the roof of one of the adjoining businesses."

But somehow that suspect vanished.

"The only description that I have heard is a white male. This particular case he was wearing a bright color construction type vest," Robinson said.

A similarly described suspect is being sought in a burglary in Folsom. That man is accused of breaking into a Dos Coyotes on Folsom Boulevard through the roof. Despite the similarities, police aren't yet saying the incidents are connected.