Thieves Make a Giant Mess in Attempt to Steal ATM

It probably went a lot easier in the planning stages, on paper. An early morning smash-and-grab at a 7-Eleven near Fort Worth, Texas, ended with a wrecked store and an abandoned ATM instead of a payday for the thieves, police say. Surveillance video released by the White Settlement Police Department shows two masked suspects in dark clothing pulling up to the store in a black SUV around 4am on Christmas Eve, reports Fox News. One man shatters the front doors with a metal tool, then hooks a cable from the SUV to the indoor cash machine. The driver then guns the vehicle.

Investigators say it took two tries to pull the machine out of the building, an effort that scattered debris, shelving, and merchandise across the store and into the parking lot. The storefront itself was destroyed. During the escape, the ATM broke loose from the cable and was recovered by officers, reports CBS News. The SUV, which police say had been reported stolen in Dallas, was located about a half-mile away with the help of license plate readers and city surveillance cameras. The thieves are still at large. Authorities say the attempted theft may be tied to a recent series of similar convenience store incidents in North Texas.