SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – A theft ring that has been committing ATM smash and grabs around the country, ran into trouble when they tried to steal cash from an automated teller machine in Summit County.
Bank surveillance cameras were rolling on the night of Oct. 3, as the team of thieves attempted to break into a Huntington Bank ATM in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle on East Waterloo Road in Springfield Township.
A witness called 911, after spotting two of the suspects as they attached a logging chain and hooks to the machine.
A third suspect, who was behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck that the chains were attached to, pulled away.
The first attempt damaged the ATM, but it was still intact.
The video shows the suspects yanking the machine with the truck again, and this time, it was ripped open.
The thieves grabbed three boxes filled with cash from the ATM, but at that moment, a Springfield Township police officer responding to the 911 call pulled into the parking lot.
The witness, who was in his car, told the dispatcher, “they’re grabbing the money. Hey, hey, there’s the cop, there’s the cop!”
The caller then honked his horn at the officer and yelled, “get them, go get them!”
When the suspects spotted the officer, they abandoned the pickup truck they had stolen from a restaurant in Hartville and made a run for it.
Springfield Township Patrolman Cody Meade was able to chase down one of the suspects and placed 24-year-old Tyrique Davis, of Texas, under arrest.
Davis was carrying the money box taken from the ATM when he was apprehended.
The other suspects fled in a getaway vehicle they had parked in a nearby neighborhood, but they dropped the cash boxes as they ran.
“They ended up empty handed. Fortunately, somebody called us. If they don’t call us, it’s likely that the individuals could make off with the money before our officers could get dispatched to the scene,” said Springfield Township Police Chief Jack Simone.
The investigation would later reveal the suspects are part of a theft ring based in Texas that has been smashing ATMs around the country and grabbing cash from the machines.
“They had coveralls on, they had ski masks on, gloves. It appeared they would’ve been in and out within just a few minutes. I think the goal is before the alarm is activated, they’re attempting to make off with the money from the ATM,” said Chief Simone.
Springfield Township police are now comparing notes with departments from the around the country who are investigating similar smash and grabs.
As a result of the eagle-eyed 911 caller and Officer Cody Meade, the thieves may have met their Waterloo on East Waterloo Road in Springfield Township.
Davis is currently being held in the Summit County Jail. Police are now trying to identify the other two men involved in the crime.
