Local

Bungling burglars have to leave safe in parking lot

SUMMIT, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said two people who broke into a convenience store first tried to steal an ATM, but when that failed, they tried to steal a safe, but were unsuccessful with that as well.

On Sunday at 2:05 a.m., a passerby called 911 to report that two people were trying to steal a safe from a convenience store in the 11300 block of Canyon Road East in the unincorporated area of Summit in Pierce County.

A deputy arrived to find a safe in the parking lot. The owner of the store arrived shortly after and watched the store’s surveillance video with the deputy.

The video showed two people break into the store and try to steal an ATM, but it was bolted to the ground, so they gave up and tried to steal a safe instead.

The video showed they tried to put the safe in the backseat of their car, but it wouldn’t fit. They then tried to load it into the trunk, but it wouldn’t fit in there, either.

The suspects then wrapped a tow strap around the safe, put the other end of the strap in the trunk and then closed the lid.

When they tried to drag the safe away with their car, the tow strap came out of the trunk. The burglars tried a second time, but when they were unsuccessful, they eventually drove away without the safe.