White Settlement Police are on the hunt for two male suspects involved in a brazen attempt to uproot an ATM from a local 7-Eleven convenience store on Christmas Eve, in an act of desperation that was captured on video. According to a social media post from Police Chief Christopher Cook, officers were called to the scene in the 2600 block of Cherry Lane at around 3:44 a.m. Cook expressed his shock at the audacity of the crime, stating to KHOU, "Pretty shocking. It just seemed pretty violent."
Investigators discovered that the two suspects tied a metal cable around the ATM and used a stolen SUV to quickly attempt to steal the machine, in the process causing significant damage to the storefront. Cook mentioned this is the third time an ATM burglary has been attempted at one of the owner's properties. Police later found the ATM dislodged on the service road of Interstate 30 after it had been abandoned by the suspects who failed to fully secure the machine. The SUV, which was stolen from a Dallas apartment complex barely an hour before the theft, was located in Fort Worth, less than a mile away from the crime scene, according to KHOU.
A video released by the police department shows one of the suspects breaking into the store with a sledgehammer and then being handed the metal cable, which was used to lash the ATM. The footage continues to show the chaos as the suspects manage to briefly haul the ATM out of the store, resulting in extensive property damage. CBS News reports that the video captures the suspect sprinting inside the store to attach the ATM and the cable that ensnared shelves stocked with snacks and other goods.
As the heist unfolded, parked cars and the store infrastructure were struck but, fortunately, no injuries were reported from the scene. Police Chief Cook emphasized the impact of the event on the community, telling KHOU, "It sends shockwaves through the community, it sends fear." White Settlement detectives are currently working with other police departments due to the resemblance of this crime to two other recent ATM thefts in neighboring cities.
The suspects are described by officials as wearing black hooded sweatshirts, black pants, face masks, and orange gloves. One suspect had white sneakers and the other black sneakers. Law enforcement is appealing to the public for any information that can lead to the identification of the suspects in this case and asks anyone with knowledge of the attempted ATM burglary to step forward.
