Puyallup thieves use stolen excavator in ATM heist

Three suspects are at large after using an excavator to tear apart an ATM in Puyallup and then stealing the ATM.

It happened just before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

According to Puyallup police, three suspects wearing dark clothing and masks used a stolen backhoe to dismantle a freestanding kiosk that housed an ATM on East Main near 15^Th St. SE

They believe the large drilling rig was stolen from a nearby construction site.

Witnesses observed this as the suspects broke down the kiosk and then used an excavator to lift the ATM loaded with cash onto the back of a pickup truck.

The truck was an older model Ford F-350.

Officers arrived just as the pickup truck was leaving the scene.

The suspects left the excavator behind.

The three ATM thieves broke up and ran away in the pickup eastbound on East Main toward Sumner.

Officers gave chase, but the suspects refused to stop.

Police said they had to stop pursuing the pickup when the driver drove recklessly into oncoming traffic.

They stopped pursuing the truck as they approached the Sumner city limits.

According to investigators, the excavator appears to have been stolen from a construction site in the 400 block of River Road in Puyallup.

It has large rubber tires and police believe the suspects drove it to the ATM location, then used it to destroy the kiosk and load the ATM into the pickup truck.

They believe the pickup was stolen from the Kitsap County area.

Police have not arrested the suspects and are still working to identify them.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the theft to contact Puyallup police.

They are also looking for someone who has dashboard camera video of the crime scene, the surrounding area, or footage of the excavator driving down the road.

If you have information about the ATM robbery or a video you would like to share with investigators, contact Puyallup police at (253) 770-3343 or email [email protected].

The Puyallup Police case number is #2433500476.

Thomas Brock is a weekend anchor, editor and reporter for KIRO Newsradio.