CHULA VISTA, Calif.—Thieves stole an ATM out of a convenience store in Chula Vista June 5 by smashing the shop’s front window with a truck, pulling out the cash machine, and loading it on the back of the pickup, police said.
The theft happened at 4:07 a.m. at the Chevron gas station on Melrose Avenue and Orange Avenue, according to Lt. Lamar Barrett of the Chula Vista Police Department.
An employee was in the restroom at the time of the theft, which took less than a minute, the lieutenant said. The employee was unharmed.
Based on surveillance video of the theft, Barrett said about three or four suspects used a chain to pull the machine from the store’s floor and into the back of the Ford F-250 truck.
The ATM contained about $2,000, he said.
No further information was immediately available.
