DETROIT (WXYZ) — Police in Detroit and Ferndale are searching for a group of men who used U-Haul trucks to break into two businesses within 20 minutes of each other Monday morning, leaving behind a trail of destruction but little to show for their efforts.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report below:
The first break-in occurred around 3:20 a.m. at Prestige Hookah & Smoke Shop in Ferndale on 8 Mile Road near Wyoming Avenue. Surveillance footage shows thieves ramming the back of a truck through the entrance, creating a gaping hole in the building. Despite the dramatic entry, the suspects failed to steal the ATM they were apparently targeting.
See surveillance of the U-Haul smashing into the business in Ferndale below
Customers of the hookah shop were stunned to find a gaping hole at the building's entrance.
"I was about to pull up and shop and I see this. I see fire protection and I thought it was a fire and he just told me somebody drove a truck through there to get the ATM. And then they didn't even get away with the ATM — it's still there. All that for nothing," said Ray Thompson, a customer who arrived at the scene.
About 20 minutes later, someone used a U-Haul truck to break into a check-cashing business on Fenkell Avenue and Marlowe Street in Detroit. This time, the thieves successfully removed the ATM, though it was reportedly empty.
Surveillance video from Quality Auto across the street captured a group of men dragging the ATM out of the building before fleeing in a getaway vehicle.
See the ATM being dragged in the Detroit business break-in below:
Brenda Bland, who works in the burglarized Detroit building as a tax preparer and U-Haul service representative, said the truck used in the break-in did not come from their lot.
"I guess U-Haul trucks like that would be a new way to get into a building if they could, especially one such as this that has glass windows," Bland said.
Workers at the check cashing business said someone tried to drive a Kia through the building just three weeks ago.
A former ranking officer in a local police auto theft taskforce said these types of trucks are often used as battering rams to break into buildings and can be easily stolen from lots. The retired officer explained that sometimes the trucks are rented legally and later reported as stolen after being used to smash into a building and then left at the scene.
The perpetrators are still on the run.
The owner of Prestige Hookah, who did not want to show his face on camera, expressed frustration with the security of rental trucks.
"U-Haul man, they gotta upgrade their trucks or something. They're too easy to steal," he said.
Bland acknowledged the broader security challenges facing businesses.
"If a person wants to get in a place bad enough, they'll find a way," Bland said. "Any truck could've did, could've accomplished the job. Penske, Budget any of them that you have out there could've did the same thing."
Anyone with information about either break-in, please call police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
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