NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. — Police in California are investigating after an ATM was ripped from its moorings at a bank drive-thru and dumped on a busy highway on Wednesday.
According to Officer Justin Fetterly of the California Highway Patrol, troopers responded to reports of a road hazard at 6:11 a.m. PDT, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said the ATM had been taken from a SAFE Credit Union in North Highlands, according to the newspaper.
An ATM that was stolen from SAFE Credit Union sits in the middle of the road on Watt Ave! @sacsheriff investigating! @GoodDaySac @CBSSacramento @CameronCGlenn #ATMStolen pic.twitter.com/O2U6mJcybT
— DG (@CameraGuyDave1) August 2, 2023
Gandhi said four suspects were observed on video using a forklift to steal the machine. The thieves then ditched the ATM across the street in the middle of the road in the area of Watt and Margaret avenues, KOVR-TV reported.
The forklift was found abandoned at another location, Gandhi said.
Officials with the highway patrol said one vehicle hit the ATM while it was in the middle of the highway, KCRA-TV reported. The crash caused heavier-than-usual traffic on the road, according to the television station.
In a statement, SAFE Credit Union said it was working with law enforcement on the incident, KOVR reported.
“Our members’ security is our top priority and we take precautions to ensure their account information is safe. We ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office,” Micah Grant, the credit union’s vice president of communications, said in the statement.
No suspects have been identified, the Bee reported. The ATM was removed from the road shortly after 9 a.m. PDT, according to the newspaper.
