Theft Suspect Fails to Pull Off ATM Robbery With Industrial Forklift

While the United States has plenty of clever criminals, there's no shortage of stupid crooks with a big plan. Some of those offenders seem to ignore the finer details in creating their very own lottery win. Some will even employ all kinds of creative methods and tools to steal things. But making off with a piece of construction equipment valued at $135,000 — to break into an ATM — would be a new low.

Early Monday morning in Jacksonville, Florida, employees at a Synovus Bank branch arrived to discover a bizarre scene. A 10,000-pound variable reach forklift was lodged in the building's drive-through ATM. Apparently the ATM had sustained damage overnight from repeated attempts to crash it open.

The forklift in question had come from a nearby construction site. Jacksonville police dusted for prints on another vehicle in the lot. They are also reviewing the bank's surveillance footage.

In spite of the ambitious plan, the suspect didn't get away with any cold, hard cash. And in that case, it's safe to conclude that this would-be bank robber need not choose any careers that require skill sets like observation, strategy, and completing execution. Maybe it would have been more profitable to sell the forklift.