Nanaimo RCMP is releasing footage of two suspects using a Ford F-350 to smash into a liquor store in Nanaimo to steal the ATM earlier this month.
The incident was caught on video surveillance and occurred around 3:40 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Liquor Plus at 508 Eighth St.
When police arrived at the liquor store, they found the front door smashed.
The video surveillance showed the pickup truck backing into the store three times before the door gave way.
The suspects then grabbed the ATM, put it in the truck, then drove west along Eighth Street.
One suspect was wearing a black hoodie and dark jeans. The other was wearing a bright blue hoodie, blue ball cap and black track pants with a white stripe.
The vehicle is described as a mid-2000s burgundy-coloured F-350 with significant damage to the rear quarter panel. The right tail light was damaged during the break-in.
The licence plate on the vehicle was stolen from another vehicle, and the owner of the stolen licence plate has been found. He did not know his licence plate was stolen until contacted by RCMP.
The ATM was found the next day at an undisclosed location, emptied of its content.
Anyone with information about this incident are asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345, and quote file # 2022-39816.
This is the second ATM theft to occur on the Island in recent days.
On Nov. 10 two men broke into the Co-op gas station in Duncan and stolen a large sum of money from an ATM inside. The suspects in this theft drove a white lifted Ford F-350 or F-250 Super Duty truck.
Both males appear to be Caucasian, approximately 20-30 years old, 5’10, wearing dark clothing along with masks and gloves.
Nanaimo RCMP are looking at the Chemainus incident in light of the Nanaimo ATM theft.
“We haven’t made a connection to that but we’re certainly looking at the parallels between them,” said Cst. Gary O’Brien with Nanaimo RCMP.
Nanaimo RCMP say the suspects in the two incidents don’t seem to resemble each other.
READ MORE: RCMP seek suspects who stole money from gas station ATM in Chemainus
Laura Brougham
