The scene of the stolen BECU ATM in Puyallup, Wash. (Credit/facebook.com/PuyallupPD)
Over the pre- and post- Thanksgiving holiday, thieves stole credit union ATMs in Washington and Ohio.
So far, police investigators have not found the ATMs or the five suspects who used stolen construction equipment to rip the cash machines from their foundations.
On Saturday, police at the city of Puyallup, Wash., responded to a theft-in-progress of a stand-alone ATM on East Main Street at about 8:50 a.m. The ATM is owned by the $29.6 billion BECU in Tukwila, Wash., according to police.
Witnesses reported a large excavator in the parking lot was being used by three suspects wearing ski masks and dark clothing to dismantle the ATM kiosk and load it on a pickup truck.
Police officers arrived at the scene just as the pickup was taking off. While police pursued the getaway vehicle and attempted to stop it, the pickup continued to “drive recklessly and into oncoming lanes of travel,” police said.
The vehicle pursuit was called off at the Sumner city limits.
Police investigators said the pickup was stolen. The excavator also was stolen from a construction site.
At about 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, police in Toledo, Ohio were dispatched to a burglary alarm at a drive-thru ATM of the $16.7 million Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union.
When police arrived at the scene, the ATM was missing from its foundation and all that was left were wires and bolts. Police also found a skid steer, a small construction vehicle with a rigid frame and lift arms primarily used for digging, lifting and moving materials.
The crime was caught on the credit union’s security cameras, showing a white male driving a stolen GMC truck. A second white man operating the skid steer used it to slam into the ATM several times until it fell over. The suspect in the truck used it to push the ATM to the rear of the parking lot away from the security camera’s eye.
According to the police report, the suspects loaded the ATM onto the truck.
Police determined the skid steer was stolen from a construction site.
“We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this crime and bring those responsible to justice,” Toledo Urban President/CEO Suzette R. Cowell said in a prepared social media post. “At Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, our dedication to empowering and uplifting our members remains steadfast, even in the face of challenges like this.”
She reminded members of the availability of the credit union’s second ATM.
“We are committed to restoring full services as quickly as possible and minimizing any inconvenience this incident may have caused,” Cowell wrote.
In both thefts, police investigators did not say how much cash was in each ATM and they are asking the public to report any information about these crimes.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
