Video shows flatbed truck crash into south Seattle pot shop before thieves steal ATM

SEATTLE — The owners of a south Seattle cannabis dispensary are once again working on major repairs after thieves used a flatbed pick-up truck to smash their way into the business to steal an ATM early Wednesday morning.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) said officers responded to a report of a burglary before 3 a.m. Wednesday at Seattle Cannabis Co., located on the 7200 block of Rainier Avenue South in the city's Rainier Valley neighborhood. An officer at the scene told KOMO News the damage to the building was so bad they were worried about the building possibly collapsing.

SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS: Thieves crash through wall, steal ATM from Seattle Cannabis Co.

In surveillance video shared with KOMO News, you can hear a loud crash and see part of the wall inside the business move. A few second later, you can see the flatbed truck crash through the wall of the building as debris and dust fly into the air. The truck then drives out of the building before backing up again, hitting the ATM against the wall.

At least three people can be seen on the surveillance video entering the building and dragging the ATM out of the store. The thieves then throw the ATM onto the bed of the truck before driving away.

The video appears to show one person getting into the driver’s seat of the flatbed truck. The other two people seen on the video appear to get into another vehicle off camera before fleeing the area.

A SPD spokesperson said officers located a suspect vehicle, but the vehicle eluded officers and they couldn’t pursue it. Responding officers were able to recover the stolen ATM near the intersection of 57th Avenue South and South Orcas Street after the ATM fell off the truck.

Police said they were searching for several suspects, but did not provide a specific number of how many people they were looking for in connection to Wednesday morning's burglary. The SPD said no suspects were in custody.

ALSO SEE | Kia used to smash into south Seattle pot shop during burglary

This isn’t the first time burglars have targeted Seattle Cannabis Co. In September, thieves crashed a Kia Forte in the front of the building and stole a “case full of product.”

The Kia hit the building with so much force the airbags went off. Photos from the scene in September show heavy damage to the front of the vehicle and the building. No other information about either of the burglaries is available at this time.

Earlier this week, the Washington state Senate unanimously passed a bill that would increase penalties for people who use a vehicle to crash into a cannabis retailers during burglaries.

If Senate Bill 6133 becomes law, prosecutors could charge people who use vehicles for smash-and-grab burglaries at pot shops with either first-degree or second-degree robbery, which are both felonies.

“These cannabis shops are in all of our neighborhoods, and have really become a magnet for an unprecedented level of criminal activities,” said Rep. Jim McCune (R-Graham), the bill’s sponsor.

SB 6133 would also assist Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board (LBC) in maintaining statistics on pot shop break-ins by requiring cannabis retailers to report robberies to the board within 10 days. The Washington State patrol would also be tasked with regularly consulting with the LBC’s chief enforcement officer.

“Whether people like it or not, cannabis stores have been legal in Washington for nearly a decade, and the state is bringing in nearly half a billion dollars a year in tax revenue from this product,” McCune said in a statement. “If the state is going to profit from having a legal cannabis industry, it should also do everything possible to protect workers, customers and the community from criminal activity at cannabis retailers.”

SB 6133 now heads to the state House of Representatives.

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