Thieves in truck detach ATM from Seattle bank, but leave it behind

SEATTLE — An investigation is underway after an ATM was ripped from a South Seattle bank Friday morning.

The crime happened at the Washington Federal Bank along Rainier Avenue South and 52nd Avenue South in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. Police said someone who heard a crash and the sound of breaking glass called 911 at around 4 a.m.

According to the witness, a red Ford full-size pickup truck left the scene. Police searched the area for the truck but it was not found.

The ATM, which was attached to the outside of the bank, was pulled away from the building by a truck and a heavy chain, according to Seattle police.

That chain and the ATM were both abandoned in the parking lot. The ATM was left in pieces, apparently after the burglars tried to break it open. While part of the machine was exposed, the safe containing the cash remained inside, unopened.

Firefighters arrived and boarded up the broken glass. A Seattle police officer was also at the scene taking photos.

Jamal Johns says he has used the ATM in the past.

“I have in the past — I stay right across the street, and this is a neighborhood ATM of course right here — that’s crazy man!” said Johns. “You never expect someone to yank the whole ATM out of the building, you know what I mean.”

Johns admitted that he was impressed in a sense with the lengths the would-be thieves went to in order to dislodge the ATM.

“These guys must be talented, I see,” he said with a laugh.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

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ATM smash-and-grab in Seattle's Rainier Valley An ATM was ripped out of a Washington Federal Bank in Seattle's Rainier Valley on Friday, May 5, 2023. (KIRO)

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