Watch: Thieves drag ATM through Texas convenience store in Christmas Eve theft attempt
Thieves attempted to steal an ATM on Christmas Eve by dragging it through the front of a Texas convenience store with a stolen SUV and a metal cable, but the machine broke free as they fled, police said.
The White Settlement Police Department posted footage of two suspects towing an ATM through the front glass doors of a 7-Eleven in Fort Worth before driving away.
The failed heist happened just before 4 a.m. Wednesday and may be connected to a string of similar convenience store crimes reported across North Texas in recent weeks, police said.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspects as they attempt to determine whether the incident is part of a broader crime pattern.
White Settlement police said in a statement that two men traveled to the store parking lot in the stolen SUV wearing dark-colored clothing with their faces covered.
One of the men smashed the front door with a metal object and attached a cable to the ATM that was already hooked to the vehicle, investigators said.
Officers found extensive damage to the storefront, with debris, shelving and merchandise scattered throughout the store and into the parking lot.
GUY FIERI’S MISSING TEQUILA MYSTERY: WILD NEW DETAILS EMERGE AFTER MILLION-DOLLAR HEIST
Police said it took two attempts for the thieves to get the ATM out of the store.
The ATM was dislodged from the vehicle as the suspects fled and was later recovered by police.
The black SUV had been stolen in Dallas, investigators added.
Police used license plate readers and city cameras throughout the city to try and locate it about a half-mile from the store.