OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) – A backhoe was used to break into a convenience store.
The heavy machinery smashed through bulletproof glass, with the thieves targeting an ATM inside.
All this effort, and the suspects got away with no cash. But the store owner said tens of thousands of dollars in damage were left behind.
Surveillance video shows the backhoe crashing through the bulletproof glass of an Ampm store on West Grand Avenue in West Oakland Monday morning.
The backhoe was used to finally break the ATM.
“They broke the whole front. This is at least $70,000 worth of damage,” said Ali Abdulla, the owner of the store that was damaged.
He chose not to show his face due to security concerns. He said the clerk who was working is fine.
Outdoor surveillance video shows the masked people first entering the store with the backhoe and then backing up in a white pickup truck to the entrance. Soon they can be seen pulling on a chain which, as you can see, they then tried to connect to the damaged ATM.
Abdulla said the chain wasn’t long enough to connect to the ATM, so when the would-be robbers heard the sirens, at least one jumped into the back of the van and drove away without even taking nothing.
“I was born and raised in Oakland. I’m 51 years old and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “I think the only way to run a business in Oakland is as soon as you close sleep in your store and stay closed and loaded with an AK-47 and be ready because the police don’t arrive in time. And I don’t blame the police because there aren’t enough around here.”
Abdulla said he is frustrated by the thousands in damage to his store and also upset by what has happened to other businesses in Oakland. He wants to know where his tax dollars are going when it comes to public safety.
“This is not what we were promised,” he said. “This is not the American dream. I don’t see the American dream. I think it’s an American nightmare right now.”
When officers arrived, the backhoe was still there and the store was badly damaged, but there was no sign of the suspects.
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