It appears even Santa’s naughty list couldn’t keep up with these antics.
In a daring heist, two bumbling thieves tried to make off with an ATM by yanking it with a stolen SUV at a Texas 7-Eleven on Christmas Eve. Their elaborate plan, however, ended without a single dollar to show for it.
Security cameras captured the dramatic scene as the SUV hurtled into the parking lot around 4 a.m., with two masked men in black gloves jumping out.
One of the thieves used a metal tool to shatter a glass window at the convenience store, then dashed inside to attach a metal cable from the SUV to the ATM. He pried open the ATM’s base, securing the cable to the safe within.
The driver of the SUV hit the accelerator, yanking the ATM from its spot and sending it crashing through the store’s aisles. As the driver floored it again, the ATM burst through the storefront, narrowly missing the other thief.
The duo attempted to flee with the safe trailing behind their vehicle. The cumbersome metal box collided with another car before being dragged down the street in White Settlement, a suburb near Fort Worth.
Inside, the 7-eleven is destroyed, with shelves toppled and snacks covering the floor. In the security footage from outside the store, it’s unclear if the second thief ever made it back into the SUV.
The ATM was later found in a ditch near an auto dealership by cops, who were able to recover the safe and all of its contents.
“At this time of the year you see that level of desperation, and that’s what makes it dangerous,” said Christopher Cook, White Settlement’s police chief, in an interview with WFAA.
Cops tracked down the SUV to a nearby parking lot and determined it had been stolen in Dallas, according to a post on X. Cook says police are still investigating the attempted robbery and haven’t arrested any suspects yet.
