SPOKANE -- Thieves strike again by ramming a car into a convenience store and grabbing an ATM machine on the South Hill Wednesday morning.
It happened around 3:00 a.m. at the Tesoro gas station at 17th and Ray. Police say the suspect or suspects smashed the doors to break in, then used chains to pull the ATM out of the store and hauled it away in a truck bed. The truck and the machine were found a few blocks away.
This is the ninth ATM theft that has happened this month. In the last three weeks, Spokane Police have responded to five ATM thefts. The Sheriff's Office has had four thefts. In many cases, a stolen truck or SUV is driven through walls and doors. Then the thieves wrap chains around the ATM and try to rip it out of the ground. But most machines are either bolted to the floor or weighed down with concrete.
The idea is nothing new. In 2006, two suspects tried to rip an ATM out of the Farmers and Merchants bank in Rockford. But the chain snapped.
Spokane County Sergeant Dave Regan says officers aren't surprised someone else is trying it again.
Police are looking at the surveillance video from Wednesday morning's theft. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 327-5111.
