There have to be easier ways to make some money than stealing an ATM. That's probably among the thoughts this morning speeding through the minds of the would-be criminal masterminds who have botched an overnight heist in Lake Worth. Police currently have two suspects in custody after a dramatic four-county car chase.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the heist went down shortly after 3 a.m. today at a Bank of America location on Lake Worth Road. Bank security advised officers that the robbery was taking place. When deputies arrived at the scene -- in the 7000 block of Lake Worth Road -- they collared one suspect.
The other fled in a dark, four-door sedan. According to WPTV, the car led authorities on a four-county chase on I-95. The fleeing vehicle first dipped down into Broward, then Miami-Dade before swinging back north.
The car was eventually stopped around 6 a.m. in Stuart in Martin County. Shots from the scene show the four-door stopped in the grassy medium between the two sides of the highway. Police have yet to release the names of the suspects.
Although experts say it's rare to see a stolen ATM attempt, Palm Beach County has a history of such crimes. In December 2013, a similar grab was made at a bank in Boynton Beach.
Around 4 a.m. on a Tuesday, two suspects loaded a cash machine from the Chase Bank on Jog Road into a truck before being spotted by a deputy. In the ensuing chase, the truck rolled, and the two suspects fled on foot. Authorities recovered the ATM. No arrests were made.
In May 2012, three men also tried to boost an ATM from a Walgreens in Loxahatchee. Two weeks previously, robbers successfully ripped one out of a Sunoco station in Royal Palm Beach. Again, no arrests were made.
The irony here is that experts say there really isn't that much cash sitting in an ATM -- at least not enough to justify the risk.
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