Someone used a stolen piece of construction equipment to tear a bank ATM away from the building but failed to steal the machine, San Diego police said.
A long trail of debris was found just after 5 a.m. Monday at the Union Bank on Waring Road in the Allied Gardens neighborhood. The debris included a damaged ATM keypad and bank signage left behind in the parking lot.
The Caterpillar wheel loader was tied to a company in Vista, California, according to officers on the scene. The 950K model weighs almost 20,000 pounds.
At least one parked vehicle was struck by the large piece of construction equipment.
Police found several packages of cookies and a golden mask on the floor of the wheel loader.
Two boys who live next door were awakened by a crashing sound. They described it as sounding like thunder or a garbage truck.
Resident Nicole Lopez said her dogs made a lot of noise when police officers arrived on scene.
"They thought the person who was driving this was at large still," Lopez said adding that she was advised to stay inside her home.
Just before 10 a.m., SDPD officers used the same wheel loader to pick up the damaged ATM and remove it from the parking lot.
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