Burglars use U-Haul to smash into DeKalb CVS, load up ATM and drive away

Shocking video showed what police are describing as an ATM smash-and-grab robbery at a DeKalb County CVS early Thursday morning.

Burglars used a U-Haul truck to crash into the store on Lawrenceville Highway.

Surveillance video obtained by Channel 2′s Audrey Washington showed the burglars using large yellow straps to pull and yank the ATM off of its foundation.

The burglars then grabbed the ATM, loaded it onto the truck and drove away.

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“It is very shocking that they would do that,” customer Ella Gonzales said.

Gonzales and other customers were forced to pick up medications through the side door of the store while crews worked to clean up the mess and board up the windows.

This is at least the third CVS store damaged in metro Atlanta within the last five weeks.

On July 10 and August 9, burglars pulled off almost identical smash-and-grab crimes in Cobb County and southwest Atlanta .

Police have not said whether the three incidents are connected.

“I don’t understand why people do those kinds of things,” Gonzales said.

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“Most likely, this is a criminal group that’s responsible for all of these actions,” said Jeff Lenard with National Association of Convenience Stores.

Lenard told Washington that ATM thefts are on the rise mainly because the ATMs are usually placed at the front of the store near glass doors.

“That’s where the money is. And what you have are criminal elements looking at what they feel to be easy targets,” Lenard added. “They’ll plan it, they’ll think about where it might work and they’ll continue in that area.”

Lenard said there are things store owners can do to keep the ATM burglars away.

“You look at things like putting in pollards, which are those poles that go in front of stores. You use dye packs or GPS to help with apprehension. You move the ATMs to another location to make it more difficult for a criminal to pick your store,” he said.

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