Thieves lose ATM ripped out of Lakewood credit union

TACOMA, Wash. — An ATM was ripped out of a Lakewood credit union Friday morning, but the thieves didn’t have it for long.

The incident happened at the TwinStar Credit Union on South Tacoma Way at about 5:15 a.m.

Employees watching surveillance video from the credit union remotely saw there was a truck that hit the front of the building. Two or three people then got out and entered the credit union, hooked a chain to the ATM inside and then pulled it out of the building, according to Lakewood police Sgt. Charles Porche.

The suspects then fled, initially heading eastbound on 96th.

Porche said the truck appeared to be a red Ford F250.

While officers were at the scene, they heard a loud sound, which turned out to be the suspects’ truck dragging the ATM westbound on 96th.

It’s unclear why the thieves drove back to the credit union, but the ATM fell out on the way.

When the truck reached the intersection at South Tacoma Way and was making a turn, it lost the ATM. In the process, the truck sideswiped another driver and then fled southbound on South Tacoma Way.

“As the vehicle was going southbound here on South Tacoma Way, one of our officers did get behind the truck. Knowing that it is a property crime, and by state statute now we can’t pursue it, we made every attempt just to get close enough to get a plate on it, which we did. And then the vehicle kept going,” said Porche.

Porche said though it had cosmetic damage and pieces of it were left on the road, the ATM is still intact.

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