Hoeing for Dollars

Someone attempted to withdraw a bank’s automated teller machine--not just money, but the whole machine--in Littlerock, but ended up leaving a valuable deposit.

The would-be robber used a backhoe to rip the ATM out of a wall, but was unable to open the machine’s money vault and fled--leaving the backhoe.

“They yanked it right out of the wall. But they didn’t get any money,” said Sgt. Robert Denham of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “He went through all that trouble and didn’t get anything. Usually they just wait and rob somebody when they’re leaving the teller window.”

The attempted theft occurred about 4:30 a.m. Thursday at Bank of America on East Pearblossom Highway at 82nd Street East, Denham said. The robber used cables, chains and hooks to connect the ATM to the small tractor, similar to those used on farms or small construction sites, he said.

Bank officials declined to comment. Law enforcement officers are generally reluctant to release information on the construction of ATMs in order to discourage robberies.

But Denham admitted he is perplexed by the crime.

“Right now, we’re trying to find out who owns this tractor,” he said. “It’s not unusual to see a tractor in the area,” which is largely rural.

“They could have stolen it from around here,” Denham said. “We’ve just never seen anything quite like this here.”