DETROIT (WWJ) – Despite being run over by a stolen backhoe Friday morning, officials said thieves who allegedly tried to break into a Detroit ATM were thwarted when their plan appeared to backfire.
WWJ’s Charlie Langton reported live from the scene on Detroit’s east side, where authorities were collecting evidence and laughing about the failed attempt.
“I was just talking to some of the Detroit police,” Langton said. “They’ve been on the job for many, many years and they were just looking at what happened here on Joy Road at I-96 and the Southfield area and they laughed at this botched event.”
Police in Langton said the incident unfolded around 4 a.m. when a suspected criminal stole a backhoe from a construction site across the street and drove it back down Joy Road, through a parking lot and to a separate ATM.
“Then they use the backhoe somehow – they know how to do it, I guess they know how to drive backhoes now – and they wrecked the building where the ATM was,” Langton added.
Langton said the building is heavily damaged and the thieves managed to get the ATM into the bucket, but it appears that while the machine was spinning, the AMT fell and crashed to the ground.
And the thieves did not stay to save the situation.
“The criminals are going to get an A for effort on this bust and grab…they have nothing on this thing,” Langton reported.
Langton said there is a lot of damage left behind for investigators to examine as they continue to process the scene for evidence.
According to Langton, even the police are scratching their heads over the incident.
“I heard a veteran Detroit cop say, ‘I thought I’d seen it all until this.'”
It is not yet known if a suspect or suspects have been identified or are being sought. No further details have been released as the investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ LIVE for the latest updates.
