Brazen burglars steal cash from Mt. Angel restaurant
MT. ANGEL, Ore. (KOIN) — Burglars were caught on camera stealing money from an ATM at a Mt. Angel restaurant. Crime Stoppers is now offering a reward to anyone who recognizes the suspects and helps bring them to justice.
Surveillance video showed how these men operated—one was even bold enough to look right at the camera. However all of them had their faces covered.
Mark Burnett, the owner of the Markum Inn restaurant, said he hopes the footage will lead to an arrest. On September 16, 2 or 3 men targeted the ATM inside the restaurant. Once inside, they found the security cameras and can be seen attempting to knock them out. The thieves then broke open the ATM and grabbed the safe inside.
“They broke through 2 doors, which weren’t easy to get through,” said Burnett. “Even though the men might have thought they were clever destroying some cameras in the building, there were still plenty rolling inside and outside.”
The men grabbed a utility wagon that was already inside the restaurant, emptied it and used it to transport the heavy safe out to the parking lot. The wagon was later found across the street, but the safe was gone.
“It makes you feel violated,” said Burnett. “It’s almost like somebody is in your home, taking things that don’t belong to them, so it’s really uncomfortable for me and my staff and everybody who’s involved here. It just makes you think twice about what’s going on.”
Surveillance footage shows the men wore masks, coats, and long pants. One had on a unique hat that looked similar to what an officer, soldier, or military officer might wear.
“Their shoes are also recognizable, the way they walk, their size, their build,” said Burnett.
The burglary happened between the hours of 11:30 p.m. Sunday September 15, and 3 a.m. Monday September 16. Burnett said another nearby business was broken into 2 weeks prior to his. Their ATM was also targeted.
“It definitely would be good to get them off the street for obvious reasons,” said Burnett. “It appears that they’ve probably done this before. So if they’ve done it before, it means they’d probably try to do it again.”
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Burnett said there is an additional reward up to $5,000 for anything that helps lead to a conviction. Tipsters can remain anonymous.