Stolen ATM blocks morning traffic on Watt Avenue in North Highlands, causes crash

Molly Jarone
·1 min read
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An ATM that thieves used a forklift to move Wednesday was left in the middle of a major North Highland thoroughfare causing a crash and traffic delays during the morning commute.

The California Highway Patrol responded to reports of a road hazard at 6:11 a.m. in the area of Watt and Margaret avenues, said Officer Justin Fetterly. A car crashed into the ATM and it was blocking multiple lanes of traffic.

Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said the ATM had been taken from its spot at the nearby SAFE Credit Union. Gandhi said four suspects were seen on video using a forklift to remove the drive-through machine from the bank. After ditching the ATM in the road, Gandhi said the forklift was abandoned at another location.

No suspects identified from the heist have been taken into custody, he said.

The ATM was removed from the road just after 9 a.m.

“SAFE Credit Union is working with law enforcement on this situation,” said Micah Grant, a spokesman for the credit union. “Our members’ security is our top priority and we take precautions to ensure their account information is safe. We ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.”