Canton crab shop owner and auto theft victim team up to catch would-be ATM thieves
BALTIMORE -- Another Baltimore business has been damaged by would-be ATM thieves.
On Tuesday morning, before the sun had rolled into the sky, two people broke into a Canton crab shop and tried to steal its ATM.
In the end, they only managed to run off with the eatery's cash register.
But that is only because the money machine had been emptied, Stacey Guzman, the owner of Chris's Seafood, said.
"Here's the ATM. The key is in it. It's unlocked and it's emptied," Guzman said.
Guzman has owned Chris' Seafood for nearly 35 years alongside her father who recently passed away.
Surveillance video captures the moment two suspects pulled up to the crab shop.
They arrived just after 1 a.m.
One of them threw a brick through the front door, and then the two of them climbed inside.
The duo ripped the ATM from the ground and tried to steal it until they realized that it was empty.
That's when they ditched their plan and targeted the cash register.
"They yanked it out. Change started falling out," Guzman said. "They threw it in the back of the car and they took off Essex street."
Guzman posted the surveillance video online for everyone to see.
Baltimore resident Evan Eskridge came forward to say that he believes the suspects used his car to commit the crime.
"You feel violated, obviously," he told WJZ. "The car being gone is one thing. But when you see someone else driving it and going away with it, it's devastating."
Guzman and Eskridge are now working together with the Baltimore Police Department to try to track down the criminals.
"Every day the violence and the crime in the city is getting out of control," Guzman said.
Police have not confirmed if, in fact, Eskridge's car was stolen and used to commit a crime at Chris' Seafood.
But they say they are working to track down the suspects using surveillance footage.
"I just want my car back," Eskridge said. "That's it. That's all I want."
