Today in “stupid criminals,” we bring you to Everett, Washington, where police say burglars attempted to break into an ATM with a blow torch, only to set fire to all the money they hoped to rob.
Via Q13 Fox:
Police and firefighters were called Tuesday morning to Coastal Community Bank on 19th Ave SE for the report of a fire.
When they arrived, crews found the drive-up ATM had been set on fire.
Aaron Snell with the Everett Police Department said the suspects used a blowtorch to try and access the ATM’s cash box.
In the process of doing so, they accidentally set the money on fire.
Police: Thieves using blowtorch to steal from Everett ATM accidentally set cash on fire https://t.co/993PlzVUDy #Q13FOX pic.twitter.com/PMwUB3rCXf
— Tyler Slauson (@tslauson) May 30, 2017
Naturally, the burglars did not make off with any money.
You kind of have to wonder what someone expects to happen when they burn through the cash box of an ATM. That the money will be protected by flame-resistant bags? That the blow torch will recognize its job was done and instantaneously shut off before a single flare can touch the money?
We did some research into other blow torch-related burglaries, and it turns out there was one in Houston back in March, but the article about that incident reference a similar attempt during which the money caught on fire. A few other stories on similar burglaries are short on details.
So it seems that the moral here is this: You can rob an ATM with a blow torch, but you shouldn’t be surprised if everything—including the money you’re trying to steal—catches on fire.
[Q13 Fox]
