FRESNO, Calif. — Crooks this weekend stole a backhoe, drove it to a nearby CU and attempted to rip open the ATM outside the office and the cash vault beneath it.
But the thieves — at this time suspected to be two in number — left empty handed.
The robbers drove the backhoe from a nearby construction site Sunday at 4 a.m. to the Shields Avenue branch of Fresno County FCU here.
They used the backhoe to tear apart the ATM, failed to get money from it, and then turned to a wall behind the ATM to get to the underground safe beneath the kiosk. The crooks failed again and fled, leaving behind a broken backhoe and more than $100,000 in damage to the CU.
Police are still waiting for surveillance footage from the credit union that could lead them to the suspects. A claw hammer and chisel were the only clues authorities said were left behind. The thieves are still at large.
The attempted robbery marks at least the third time this year crooks have attempted to steal money from an ATM by using heavy equipment. The previous two efforts were also unsuccessful.
