In a shockingly bold raid, thieves used a stolen SUV to wrench a cash machine from a convenience store in Texas during the early hours of Christmas Eve. The entire incident was captured by surveillance cameras, showing the moment of destruction.
A Destructive and Daring Raid
The White Settlement Police Department reported that the suspects targeted a 7-Eleven in northwest Fort Worth at around 3:45am. Remarkably, the store was open and well-lit at the time. One suspect smashed his way inside while an accomplice waited outside in a stolen SUV.
Moments later, the pair attached a heavy metal cable from the vehicle to the ATM inside the shop. With the hook secured, the driver accelerated violently, dragging the machine straight through the entrance. The immense force instantly demolished shelves, scattering packets of crisps and other products across the floor. The store's doors were utterly destroyed in the process, leaving a trail of considerable debris.
The Aftermath and Investigation
The surveillance footage, later released by police, shows the ATM eventually breaking free from the cable. The heavily damaged machine, with its safe still inside, was later abandoned along a nearby highway service road. The stolen SUV used in the ATM heist was also dumped close by.
Investigators traced the vehicle to a Dallas apartment complex, where it had been stolen roughly an hour before the robbery attempt. Police believe the suspects either fled on foot or were collected by another getaway car. No injuries were reported despite the extensive damage to the property.
Part of a Wider Crime Pattern
Authorities believe this Christmas Eve robbery is not an isolated incident. White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook stated that the same crew is likely responsible for multiple ATM theft attempts across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, possibly targeting stores owned by the same business.
"He's been hit three times. He's got a lot of convenience stores in Dallas-Fort Worth," Chief Cook said. "He really feels like the same people were involved. It is always a stolen SUV, it's always two guys, and they do the same thing." He described the crime as particularly "brazen" given the store was open and located in a small town.
The two suspects are described as men wearing black hooded sweatshirts, black trousers, and face masks. Both were wearing distinctive orange gloves. The case is being treated as a serious felony, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
