BURST
Presumptive thieves used heavy equipment in a botched West Kelowna bank caper, leaving empty-handed after a Wednesday morning theft attempt.
Around 4:30 a.m. this morning, RCMP responded to a report of mischief to the exterior of a bank located in the 5500 block of Clements Crescent. They found that someone had used a front-end loader and a pickup truck to forcibly remove the ATM deposit box from the side of the building and had fled the scene with it.
It wasn’t long after that police found both vehicles, abandoned, as well as the intact stolen deposit box. A police dog was deployed to track the suspects, but they eluded pursuit.
Both vehicles and the deposit box were seized and are being processed by the RCMP Forensic Identification Services.
“This was a bold and dangerous act that caused significant damage to the business,” said West Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Devon Gerrits. “We’re asking anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the area during the early morning hours to contact police.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the West Kelowna RCMP at (250) 768-2880 and reference file number 2025-60900, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (1-800) 222-8477 or leave a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net.