A man broke into a liquor store and tried to steal an ATM Friday, Sgt. Jeff Maxin said. Glass littered the parking lot of the Liquor Mart on Cypress Avenue in Lemon Grove.
"There were people that actually notified us that the burglary was in progress," Maxin said. Witnesses reported seeing a man break the front door of the store at 5:39 a.m.
The owner of the Liquor Mart said he thinks the man backed a car into the door, tied a chain onto the base of the ATM and tried to pull it out of the store, but couldn't.
"They got the top of it off, but the bottom half was still bolted inside the business," Maxin said.
Investigators say the attempted theft could be linked to others that have happened around the county, including one at the Fresh and Easy Grocery Story in Point Loma.
Investigators have not yet released a description of the suspects.
