An ATM was ripped out of a Lakewood credit union Friday morning. As a truck was dragging it down the street, police could not pursue.
“That’s just nuts!” Ursula Reutin said on KIRO Newsradio.
The incident happened at the TwinStar Credit Union on South Tacoma Way at about 5:15 a.m. Friday.
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KIRO 7 TV said employees watching surveillance video from the credit union remotely saw there was a truck that hit the front of the building. Two or three people then got out and entered the credit union, hooked a chain to the ATM inside, and then pulled it out of the building, according to Lakewood Police Sgt. Charles Porche.
A Lakewood police officer was able to pull up behind the truck while it was dragging that ATM but did not pursue when the suspected thief drove off, leaving the ATM behind.
“We had an officer that was right there who saw the truck [and] took off after the truck, knowing that it’s a property crime that we can’t pursue,” Sgt. Porche explained on The Gee & Ursula Show. “His whole intent was to get close enough to at least try to get some ID. He did end up getting a plate for the truck. And then eventually it just took off.”
The thieves lost the ATM on South Tacoma Way, but the suspects are still at large.
Porsche said the time of day plays a role in whether police can pursue.
“The imminent threat is going to be a pretty higher threshold – just like probable causes – for us to meet that to determine whether or not a pursuit would be authorized to initiate.”
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Gee and Ursula agreed that laws need to be changed.
“Hey, sorry, we gotta get some changes around here, man,” Gee said. “Do you know what I’m saying? You used to pull your boy over for tinted windows. Now you’re not pulling people over for stolen ATMs. That’s crazy.”
Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
KIRO 7 TV contributed to this report.
