Front-Loader Used To Rip Out ATM
MIAMI (CBS4) -A daring burglary at a bank located on the 24000 block of U.S. 1 involved a front-loader and ended with an ATM ripped out from its base.
An alarm at the bank was triggered shortly before 5 a.m. Friday, but when Miami-Dade Police officers arrived at the scene, they found an ATM missing from the teller lanes. Officers also found a stolen front-loader near the scene.
One bank customer told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that it was a sign of the times.
"It's crazy. It's the economy. That's what it is," said Nancy Sola.
Police believe the stolen front-loader was used to destroy the ATM at the Community Bank branch during the robbery.
Police eventually found the ATM in a field some two miles away from the bank – it had been severely damaged by the thieves who took it and tried to take cash from it.
"People will just do anything they can, to get money anyway they can," Sola said.
Another customer echoed similar sentiments.
"These days, with the economy, people are getting desperate," said Brian Bistrong, also a bank customer.
Miami-Dade police found debris when they arrived at the bank on U.S. 1 at Southwest 247th Street. The front-loader had been used to wrench the ATM from its foundation.
It turns out the front-loader had also been stolen from a construction site a few blocks away. By late morning, the front-loader was back at the site.
It's become a crime trend with robbers using construction equipment to rip off ATMs.
"Any citizen out there who sees some odd behavior, specifically with back hoes early in the morning or even around midnight, it's not normal behavior and if they see anything, they should call the police," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Javier Baez.
Police say bank such bank ATMs usually have anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 in them – along with tracking devices.
"I hope they break their fingers trying to get into the machine. It's not going to be easy breaking into it, and getting the money out," said Betty Gonzalez, a bank customer.
Authorities say there's been a marked increase in such crimes since 2007 and a downturn in the economy.
Thieves have used trucks, front-loaders, backhoes and bulldozers to steal ATMS.
On May 14th of this year, bank robbers used a stolen forklift to rip an ATM from its foundation at a bank in Southwest Miami-Dade. Police say the forklift had also been stolen from a construction site.
On Dec. 22nd of 2008, North Miami Police say several thieves used a backhoe to try and steal an ATM machine from a Washington Mutual bank. They left without the ATM and without any money.
On Sept. 28th of 2008, burglars used a backhoe to rob a Bank of America teller machine in Homestead. When police arrived, the ATM was gone, but the backhoe was actually still running. That ATM had about $100,000 in it.
