It is not every day police respond to someone reporting a stolen vehicle only to discover the alleged victim may have been committing a burglary at the exact moment their own truck disappeared.

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But that’s exactly what authorities in Maryland say unfolded last week, in a bizarre chain of events that officers themselves described as “karma”.

According to the Howard County Police Department, 29-year-old Jalen Godard, of Odenton, contacted officers to report that his truck had been stolen from a parking lot on Baltimore National Pike.

As reported by the New York Post, just minutes later, police were dispatched to another call — this time reporting a burglary at a Verizon store located directly across the street.

It did not take investigators long to begin connecting the two incidents.

Bodycam footage released by the department shows Godard approaching officers as they arrived.

“Man, someone stole my truck,” he told police.

He claimed he had been at a nearby McDonald’s when someone drove away with his vehicle.

While officers were investigating the reported theft, another team examined the Verizon store, where someone had apparently forced entry through a broken window.

Investigators soon noticed something that immediately caught their attention.

There appeared to be blood on the smashed window believed to have been used to gain entry.

Back where officers were speaking with Godard, they also noticed blood on the glasses he was wearing.

As the questioning continued, officers became increasingly suspicious, particularly after observing that Godard appeared determined to keep one of his hands hidden inside the pocket of his sweatshirt.

“All right, let me just see your hands real quick?” one officer asked.

Godard initially showed only his right hand before officers instructed him to reveal the other.

When he pulled his left hand from his pocket, police say it was covered in blood.

Officers immediately placed him in handcuffs.

“Were you at that Verizon store? Because you’ve got blood on your hand and blood on your glasses,” the arresting officer asked.

Godard denied any involvement.

“I wasn’t at no Verizon store, sir,” he replied.

Police say surveillance footage tells a different story.

Video released by the Howard County Police Department allegedly shows a man dressed in a black balaclava, black top and grey sweatpants moving through the Verizon store, grabbing armfuls of merchandise from the shelves after gaining entry.

Additional bodycam footage also shows officers finding more blood on Godard’s shirt during a search after his arrest.

Despite the evidence police say they had uncovered, Godard continued insisting that the real issue was the theft of his truck.

“Someone stole my truck, man,” he said.

One officer acknowledged the report before encouraging him to tell the truth, saying: “I understand that. So the gig’s up. It’s whether you want to be honest about stuff or not.”

Godard remained focused on the missing vehicle.

“They stole my truck, oh my God,” he repeated while handcuffed.

That prompted one of the officers to point out the irony of the situation, stating: “That’s kind of some karma right there, ain’t it?”

Godard then appeared to begin explaining why his truck had been so easy to steal.

“Well I left the keys in –”

Before he could finish, the officer laughed and said: “Yeah, that’s some karma s**t right there, dude.”

The footage released by police then shows Godard being escorted to the back of a police vehicle.

According to Howard County Police, Godard has since been charged with burglary, theft and destruction of property.

Authorities say they believe he was burglarising the Verizon store while someone else allegedly stole his own vehicle from nearby.

Police have not yet identified or released any details regarding the individual accused of stealing Godard’s truck.

For now, investigators are still searching for that suspect, while the man who originally called police seeking help over his missing vehicle now finds himself facing criminal charges instead.

Featured image credit: Howard County Police Department