Some would-be robbers came up with an inventive way to break into a Snellville, Ga., jewelry store.
A backhoe was discovered crashed into the front of Mona’s Fine Jewelry at U.S. Highway 78 and Northcrest View Road at about 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the Gwinnett Daily Post reports.
The prospective burglars apparently tried to use a stolen backhoe and a stolen rental truck to remove the safe from the jewelry shop, but they went away empty handed, Detective Tim Colgan of the Snellville Police Department, reportedly said.
When the bungling burglars realized the safe wasn’t in the front of the building, they ran the ill-gotten construction equipment into the side of the building, only to once again come up empty, Colgan reportedly said. The rental truck was apparently used to block the view of backhoe being driven into the building.
“From what we can tell, they were trying to get the safe into the bucket of the backhoe,” Colgan told the newspaper.
About $150,000 in damages later, the criminals left.
When police arrived on the scene at 6 a.m., smoke was literally still clearing from the robbery attempt.
“There was dust clearing when the officers arrived,” Colgan reportedly said. “They must have just left the scene when we got there.”
Colgan reportedly said this robbery attempt is unique because it happened at a time when people would normally be out, but there are no witnesses or suspects.
Backhoes have been used in previous robbery attempts at ATMs, and the Snellville Police are investigating whether there may be a link, the newspaper reports.
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