Video Shows SW Miami-Dade ATM Heist

MIAMI (CBS4) – New surveillance video shows the lengths some crooks will take to get their hands on some cash. Friday, Miami-Dade police released surveillance video taken in March outside of a South Florida bank, where would-be robbers used a front-end loader to steal an entire ATM.

Police are hoping this video will be the break they need to solve this case.

The video shows a 1988 Chevrolet pickup truck and a front-end loader being used in the ATM heist outside of the Community Bank branch located on the 24000 block of U.S. 1 at around 5:00 a.m. on Friday, March 18th.

"You can clearly see these subjects had the proper equipment to pry this ATM from the ground. They used a stolen backhoe and a stolen vehicle there as well," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Javier Baez. "These subjects, as you can see, clearly knew what they were doing and had the proper equipment to do it. They were there for several minutes and they knew exactly what they were doing."

Police eventually found the ATM in a field some two miles away from the bank. It had been severely damaged by the thieves who took it and tried to take cash from it.

"They were very determined as well. If anyone out there sees this type of behavior give us a call, we'll go out there and investigate and see if they're using these machines for work or perhaps potentially deter a crime from happening," said Det. Baez.

The crime still stuns bank customers.

"I've driven past here at 5 in the morning on my way to work," said bank customer James Dunn, "come on, it's not like we are in the middle of nowhere."

Authorities say they've seen an increase in these types of ATM thefts in the past few years in South Florida. Typically, ATMs contain anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 cash, along with tracking devices.

"This is plain, just ridiculous," said bank customer Felix Perez. "It's amazing that people go out of their way to destroy property and steal."

But, despite their best efforts, police said the destructive criminals left the scene of the crime empty-handed.

If you know anything at all about this crime, please call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

Watch the entire surveillance video here.