SAN ANTONIO – They may get an "A" for effort, but thieves who tried to steal an ATM from a Northeast Side parking lot did not get away with anything else.
San Antonio police found the money machine, which had been ripped off its base, in the bed of a pickup abandoned in the same parking lot, located near Austin Highway and Harry Wurzbach.
Officers responded to a call about the attempted theft around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. A passerby noticed the mess, the machine's damaged housing and parts of it scattered throughout the parking lot.
Police also found a forklift nearby, with its engine still running. They said it was stolen from nearby construction. They believe the crooks used it to break the housing around the ATM and then lift the machine into their truck.
Officers said it appears the crooks may have been frightened off at the last minute, possibly by the sound of sirens. They left their pickup behind with the machine still in its bed.
Police said they believe there were several people involved, including someone who was driving a second getaway vehicle.
In February, there were two other ATM theft cases locally, also involving the use of stolen forklifts.
In one case at the Huebner Oaks shopping center, the crooks managed to get away with the entire cash machine.
The thieves involved in another ATM ttheft in Windcrest were not successful.
Police found that stolen machine about a quarter mile from the bank where it belonged. Officers at the time said it appeared that the ATM fell out of the thieves' truck as they drove away from the scene.
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