Two Rochester banks hit by ATM thieves
Jun. 8—Two ATMs in Rochester were hit by thieves Monday morning.
The first happened about 5 a.m. at the Mayo Clinic Credit Union, 4463 Canal Place SE. The theft was reported just before 7 a.m. Using a white Ford pickup and two straps, thieves were able to pull the ATM off it's base and then grab money from the machine.
The incident was captured by a security camera and caused about $50,000 in damage. It was not known Tuesday morning how much money the thieves got from the ATM.
About an hour later, the ATM at MinnWest Bank, 331 16th Ave. NW, was hit by the same group of thieves. This time, the group of three people used a white Chevy truck that was stolen from the 1800 block of 17th Street Northwest. A witness called police after seeing a yellow tow strap tied to the ATM and attached to the truck.
The thieves were unable to pull the ATM off its base but it caused about $1,000 in damage. The truck drove to a hotel near the bank and then the people inside fled on foot.
Rochester Police Capt. Casey Moilanen said the suspect descriptions in both incident match. The incidents could be connected to at least a dozen ATM thefts in the Twin Cities, Moilanen said.
