STRATEGIC PARTNERS
August 25, 2002
CHICAGO -- An ATM heist went awry for three men who broke into a closed Southeast Side restaurant on Aug. 22 and wrestled the machine from its bolts -- only to find it wouldn't fit in the back seat of their 1993 Cadillac DeVille.
They shoved the ATM into the car as best they could, according to a report in the Chicago Sun Times, and prepared to take off with the rear door half open and the ATM hanging out.
Their plans were thwarted when a police officer driving by spotted the trio and, after a short foot chase, captured one of the men.
What the burglars didn't know was that even if the theft had been successful, their efforts would have been in vain. The machine was empty.
"They went through all that hassle for nothing," waitress Tammy Katsenis told the Sun Times. The ATM had been out of order -- and money -- for two years.
Though the machine did not have an "out of order' sign, Katsenis said it was unplugged and unlit. She said the machine had broken down and the company that installed it had gone out of business. Ever since, the restaurant's owner had been trying to find a way to get rid of it.
It also turned out the alleged burglars' Cadillac was stolen from Nashville, Tenn.
Cory Pickett, 32, of Chicago, was charged with burglary and possession of a stolen auto and burglary tools. The other two suspects remain at large. Authorities say they know the pair's street names and hope to locate them.
