Thursday, October 30, 2008

News Report: Fresh & Easy Store ATM Machine 'To Go' is a 'No Go' For Burglars


Burglars using a stolen SUV tried to steal an ATM cash machine from the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market grocery store in San Diego, California's Point Loma district early this morning, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Tape from the surveillance camera at the Fresh & Easy market on Catalina Boulevard near Talbot Street in the Roseville-Fleetridge neighborhood in Point Loma showed four people shattering the store's glass front door, entering the store, and once inside attaching a huge cable around the ATM machine, San Diego Police Sgt. Kerry Tom said.

Once the cable was affixed to the cash machine inside the store, the burglars attached the other end of the cable to the stolen Chevy Suburban sitting out front. They then took off in an attempt to drag the ATM machine down the street, according Sgt. Tom. But instead of getting away with the entire cash machine, the robbers pulled only the cover off, leaving the rest of the ATM machine (and all the cash inside it) still inside the store.

The stolen Chevy Suburban was found by police abandoned just a few blocks from the Fresh & Easy store, Sgt. Tom said.

The police haven't made any arrests yet. However they have dusted the SUV for fingerprints and are investigating other potential leads.

The Point Loma San Diego Fresh & Easy market (pictured at top) is one of the grocery chain's newest in the region, having opened on August 13.

Although Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market sells lots of food, grocery and beverage items "to go," the ATM machines are designed for in-store service only. Apparently the four burglars had to learn this fact the hard way early this morning.

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