One Arrested, Some Still at Large After Brazen ATM Theft Attempt in Oakland

The Bank of America logo is seen outside a branch in Washington on July 9, 2019. (Alastair Pike/AFP/Getty Images)

Some suspects are still at large with one arrest made after an attempted ATM theft in Oakland over the weekend. In a video circulated online by KTVU-Fox, a white van can be seen dragging the machine with sparks flying during an attempted getaway.

“We just [saw] guys just yanking on the ATM and that’s when we started recording and they just tied the machine up and just started going down [the street] …,” a witness told the television station.

Oakland Police announced the arrest of Anthony Pearson Jan. 23 in connection with the attempted Jan. 21 theft, which occurred around 7:30 a.m. on the 300 block of Hegenberger Road.

According to police, Mr. Pearson has been charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for his involvement in the crime, with other suspects at large.

The theft is still under investigation but according to police, multiple people were seen trying to remove the ATM with tools before fleeing with the machine.

An ATM was found near the 4000 block of Alameda Avenue near a Home Depot, which is where Mr. Pearson was taken into custody, police said.

A second ATM was stolen about an hour earlier near Hegenberger Road, but police did not say if the two were connected, according to media reports.

In nearby San Francisco, ATM thefts jumped by 550 percent in 2023 compared to the year prior, according to data from the city’s police department.

The investigation into the recent ATM thefts is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 510-238-3951.