Thieves make off with $6,000 in smash-and-haul ATM theft at OC gas station

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- Alarming new surveillance video shows thieves breaking into a convenience store in Orange and using a pickup truck to haul out an ATM machine filled with $6,000.

The incident happened on Saturday at the Anthem Oil gas station on E Lincoln Avenue.
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Two suspects are seen tying one end of a strap to a white pickup truck that was parked outside and then tying the other to the ATM.

Moments later, the suspects smash the ATM out of the store, making off with thousands of dollars in just minutes.

Kimberly Miller, a store employee, said she heard banging on the back door just before 5:30 a.m.

"The glass wouldn't break so they pried it through the frame and I looked out and I saw them reverse," she said.



Now, the store is left with about $15,000 in damages.

"Oh, I was really scared, like, I was crying," said Miller. "When the police came, when I saw what had happened, I was just glad they didn't come to the front registers."
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The staff told Eyewitness News they feel targeted. Last month, thieves using a similar truck and tactics hit the store's Redlands location.

"I'm sure they are watching the stores," said another worker.

Last month, an ATM was stolen out of a barbershop in Huntington Beach.

READ MORE: Caught on camera: Thieves steal ATM machine from Huntington Beach barbershop


In Loma Linda, there were two failed ATM theft attempts at the Upper Cuts barbershop. The suspects thought the machine was an ATM only to discover it was a candy machine.
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Papa Joes Sports Bar in Moreno Valley wasn't as fortunate. Suspects in a white Ford Ranger executed a similar plan. They were in and out in less than five minutes with their ATM.



Meanwhile, a truck that description was seen in a picture outside the Venue Bar in Grand Terrace. Those suspects only made off with a quarter machine.

"We hope they catch them soon because this is terrifying for us," said a concerned worker. "We are working, we have families, we have friend. It's really terrifying thing."

READ MORE | Caught on camera: Thieves target ATMs at businesses across Inland Empire