CHP nabs ATM thiefs in North County

A two-hour pursuit of a pickup truck carrying a stolen ATM yanked out of a CVS pharmacy in Mission Viejo came to a stop when authorities flattened its tires on Interstate 5 near Palomar Airport Road Tuesday, authorities said.

Two suspects were arrested, but two others got away at the end of the predawn chase, Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said.

A sheriff’s deputy on his way to work reported the crime in progress about 5 a.m. at the CVS at 26851 Trabuco Road, he said. The deputy watched as four men yanked out the pharmacy’s doors using a dark-blue pickup and a cable, Amormino said.

The men also used a cable to yank out an ATM, he said, adding that truck had been reported stolen in San Diego.

A law enforcement pursuit led through several Orange County neighborhoods, including Rancho Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch, then onto state Route 241 and southbound I-5, where the California Highway Patrol joined in, Amormino said.

A spike strip flattened the truck’s tires just north of Palomar Airport Road, dispatchers said. Two suspects were arrested without a struggle, Amormino said. Two other suspects got away, he said.

The ATM was being taken to the Orange County crime lab, he said. The two suspects were taken to a sheriff’s substation in Mission Viejo, according to the spokesman. The CHP reopened all southbound I-5 lanes by about 7 a.m.

Tags: CHP ATM thiefs, Interstate 5 traffic, Jim Amormino Orange County Sheriff's Department, Orange County ATM thiefs, Orange County CVS ATM thiefs, Palomar Airport Road spike strip, San Diego ATM thiefs, SDNN

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