A brazen burglar stole an ATM from a Mexican restaurant early Friday morning – dragging the machine out of the eatery right in front of employees and customers.
According to the San Diego Police Department, the incident happened around 5 a.m. at the Cotixan Mexican Restaurant located at 4370 Genesee Ave. in Clairemont Mesa.
Police say an unknown masked man – described as a Middle Eastern male in his mid-30s – walked into the restaurant and approached a stand-alone ATM.
Then, with employees and some customers watching, the man dragged the ATM out of the restaurant, all the way to a maroon hatchback vehicle. He loaded the ATM into the back of the car and drove off.
Police say the suspect fled northbound on Genesee Ave. with the ATM sticking out of the getaway car. The vehicle may have been a Honda or Mitsubishi Eclipse, according to investigators.
No one was injured in the burglary, and no weapons were observed by witnesses, police say.
Officers traveling southbound on Genesee Ave. spotted the suspect vehicle, but by the time they turned around, they lost the car and were unable to locate the suspect.
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Police say the man was around 6-feet-tall and was wearing a mask, gloves, grey sweater and beige pants during the burglary.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the SDPD.
