Puyallup thieves use stolen excavator in heist of ATM loaded with cash
Nov 30, 2024, 1:58 PM | Updated: 4:00 pm
Puyallup police are looking for three masked suspects who used this excavator to rip apart an ATM kiosk on East Main Street and lift the cash machine into a pickup truck. (Photo: Puyallup Police Dept.)
(Photo: Puyallup Police Dept.)
Three suspects are on the loose after using an excavator to tear apart an ATM kiosk in Puyallup and then steal the cash machine.
It happened just before 9:00 am Saturday.
Puyallup police say three suspects wearing dark clothing and masks used a stolen excavator to dismantle a stand-alone kiosk that held an ATM on East Main, near 15th St. S.E.
They believe the big rig was stolen from a nearby construction site.
Witnesses saw this going on as the suspects broke the kiosk apart, then used the excavator to lift the ATM loaded with cash into the back of a pickup truck.
This is all that is left of the BECU ATM kiosk on E. Main that was destroyed by an excavator during a heist in Puyallup. (Photo: Puyallup Police Dept.)
The truck was an older-model Ford F-350.
Officers arrived just as the pickup was leaving the scene.
The suspects left the excavator behind.
The three ATM thieves floored it and raced away in the pickup, eastbound on East Main, heading toward Sumner.
Officers gave chase, but the suspects refused to pull over.
Police say they had to stop the pursuit of the pickup when the driver started recklessly driving into oncoming traffic.
They stopped chasing the truck as they approached the Sumner city limits.
Investigators say it looks like the excavator was stolen from a construction site in the 400 block of River Road in Puyallup.
It has big rubber tires and police believe the suspects drove it to the ATM location, then used it to demolish the kiosk and to load the ATM into the pickup.
They believe the pickup was stolen from the Kitsap County area.
Police have not arrested the suspects and are still working to try to identify them.
Investigators are asking anyone who has information about the theft to contact Puyallup police.
They are also looking for anyone who may have dashboard camera video of the scene, the surrounding area, or footage of the excavator traveling down the street.
If you have any information about the ATM heist or video to share with investigators, contact the Puyallup Police tip line at (253) 770-3343 or email them at tips@puyallupwa.gov.
The Puyallup Police Department Case Number is # 2433500476.
Thomas Brock is a weekend anchor, editor and reporter for KIRO Newsradio.
