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Jul 25, 2023

Truck crashes into stolen ATM that blocked Sacramento County road

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the ATM was taken from the back of the SAFE Credit Union on Watt Avenue, near Margaret Way, with a forklift. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the ATM was taken from the back of the SAFE Credit Union on Watt Avenue, near Margaret Way, with a forklift.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the ATM was taken from the back of the SAFE Credit Union on Watt Avenue, near Margaret Way, with a forklift.

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The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said the ATM was taken from the back of the SAFE Credit Union on Watt Avenue, near Margaret Way, with a forklift.

An ATM that was stolen with a forklift fell onto a busy road in Sacramento County and then was hit by a driver Wednesday morning, officials said.

Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, said someone stole the ATM from the SAFE Credit Union on Watt Avenue near Margaret Way around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The California Highway Patrol was initially called to the scene after the driver of a pickup truck crashed into the ATM. CHP said the driver is not suspected to be involved in the incident.

Gandhi said the suspect ripped the ATM from the SAFE Credit Union using a forklift. The ATM fell off the forklift while it was on Watt Avenue, just feet away from the bank.

"The forklift was recovered just down the street a little bit, so it had been separated, so at some point, I guess the bad guy took the forklift and was trying to drive it down to their getaway car, and from there, dumped the forklift as well," Gandhi said.

Authorities are still working on reviewing surveillance video from the bank to come up with a good suspect description to release to the public. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the investigation, but Gandhi said that is standard protocol during a theft from a bank.

KCRA 3 spoke to Terry Sanchez, who said he was the person who hit the ATM with his truck when he was driving on Watt Avenue.

"I came around the turn. It was dark, and I couldn't see it in the street, and my truck hit it," Sanchez said. "It was just something you don't expect every day."

The damage to Sanchez's truck was minor, and he was able to drive away in it.

Customers of the SAFE Credit Union are shocked such a bold crime could be committed at the bank they use. Rocky Murillo of North Highlands said he does not know why someone would go to such lengths to steal an ATM.

"That's crazy. That is crazy, because somebody had the balls to steal a machine, oh my God," Murillo said.

Micah Grant, VP of communications and government relations for SAFE Credit Union, sent KCRA 3 the following statement:

As of Wednesday night, no arrests have been made.

Authorities are encouraging anyone who saw the ATM theft or who may have information about who was involved to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers immediately.

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