Thief Uses Stolen Tractor To Rip ATM From Brentwood Wells Fargo Bank
BRENTWOOD (CBS SF) -- An ATM thief used a stolen tractor to pry the machine from the front of a bank in Brentwood early Friday morning, although getting the money proved much more difficult.
Brentwood police said officers responded to an alarm at around 4:40 a.m. at a Wells Fargo bank branch on the 2500 block of Sand Creek Road. Witnesses reported seeing a tractor remove a standalone ATM from in front of the bank.
"An unknown suspect had taken a tractor, the one that has the forklift on the front," said Brentwood Police Lt. Walter O'Gradnick. "It is believed that tractor was stolen from a nearby construction site located on the west side of Highway 4. That tractor was then driven to the parking lot where the ATM was located and used to compromise the ATM."
Officers arrived to find the tractor gone but having caused significant damage to the ATM and building. The ATM was found dumped about 200 yards west of the bank and the tractor was abandoned in an open field at the dead-end of Sand Creek Road west of Highway 4, police said.
"Bring[ing] a tractor that size is unsafe and pretty brazen," said O'Gradnick. "It caused significant damage to ATM and the building adjacent to the ATM."
The ATM vault was recovered intact and no money was stolen, police said. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Brentwood Police Department at 925-809-7911.