Palmetto police chief reacts to ATM burglary caught on camera: 'We think they were familiar with it'

PALMETTO, Fla. - As detectives search for a pair of burglars who crashed into a CVS Pharmacy and tried to tow away an ATM, Palmetto's police chief is sharing new insight into the surveillance video at the center of the investigation.

The break-in happened shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the store off 8th Avenue West. Video appears to show a silver Mitsubishi SUV crashing into the front doors of the store, allowing the passenger to get inside.

"He pulls a cable out of the SUV, wraps it around the ATM. I guess they figured they were going to rip the ATM out and either cart it away or get the money out," said Chief Scott Tyler with the Palmetto Police Department.

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Video shows the ATM splitting in half when the driver pulled forward. That's when police say the passenger tried to remove the lower half of the ATM, but failed to do so. The burglars took off without any cash.

Chief Tyler believes the suspects pre-planned the crime.

"When they arrived, they seem to have a pretty good idea where the ATM was located and they brought just enough material to get from the SUV to the ATM, so we think they were familiar with it," he told FOX 13.

Credit: Palmetto Police Department

Although the crooks left empty-handed, the store suffered significant damage.

"The effort kind of outweighs the gain," said Chief Tyler.

Police are not sure if the passenger is a man or a woman, but described the suspect as being medium to tall. The person was wearing a white cloth, possibly a T-shirt over their face. They were also wearing white socks and black sandals.

"We are looking at burglary. We are looking at the damage to the building," said Chief Tyler.

The driver remained inside the SUV, which had its tag removed, video shows.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Detective Richard Wilson at 941-773-6124, Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477 or online at manateecrimestoppers.com.

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