ATM Stolen From Dallas Gas Station, Again
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Police in Dallas are investigating an ATM theft at an Exxon station that is already very familiar with such crimes. It happened at about 2:30 a.m. early Wednesday along Fort Worth Avenue, near Hampton Road, in the west Oak Cliff area.
An employee was inside of the convenience store when two men wearing masks used a hammer to smash the front glass. They then walked inside without saying a word. A third suspect was waiting outside in a pickup truck. One of the suspects wrapped a heavy chain around the location's ATM, and the truck ripped the money machine out of the building.
The store's worker hid in the freezer during the incident, and was not injured. "I was pretty scared," said worker Saroj KC. "I saw the car coming down. I ran out, that's all."
The thieves got about two miles away from the Exxon station before abandoning their getaway vehicle and the ATM. The cash was still inside. Somebody called 911 after hearing loud banging noises. Police pulled over a different car in the area and found a pry bar inside. Two men were detained: 26-year-old Clifford Deon McCuin and 23-year-old Travis Wayne Dallas. Both have been transported to the Dallas County Jail for unrelated charges, according to Dallas police.
The ATM investigation is ongoing.
This is not the first time that thieves targeted this particular Dallas store. The ATM was stolen from this same location back in January. The store's owner recently moved the money machine away from the front door, and bolted it down. But, once again, it was stolen. "We do what we can to prevent it," said owner Paul Sidhu, "that's all we can do."
