Law enforcement officials in the D.C. area said close to a dozen ATM robberies occurred this week at convenience stores in three different jurisdictions.
Authorities in the District, as well as the suburbs of Fairfax County, Virginia, and Prince George’s County, Maryland, reported a combined 11 ATMs were robbed over a three-day period.
A source familiar with the multi-agency investigation told The Washington Times that most of the robberies follow a similar script — the thieves round up the employees at gunpoint, cut surveillance camera wires to destroy video evidence and then use a hydraulic spreader, or a jaws of life-like device, to break open the ATMs.
Police have not said whether they believe all 11 incidents are connected.
Prince George’s police said two 7-Elevens were targeted by thieves before dawn Wednesday.
The first store was hit just after 2 a.m. in the 8200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Glenarden.
Another store in Lanham was robbed of its ATM around 4:35 a.m., in the 9900 block of Greenbelt Road.
Police said in both incidents, the thieves broke into the ATMs and stole money out of the machines. Detectives believe these two cases are linked.
“In an effort to identify and arrest those who are targeting ATMs, the Prince George’s County Police Department has tasked a group of detectives to focus solely on this issue,” police said in a statement. “In addition, patrol officers who work the overnight hours have been directed to focus their patrols on 7-Eleven stores in their assigned beats.”
D.C. police said a trio of thieves carried out a robbery in Northeast early Wednesday.
The suspects cracked open an ATM and grabbed money during an incident around 2:40 a.m. in the 5500 block of South Dakota Avenue NE, according to authorities.
Police said the thieves then fled in a dark-colored SUV.
Wednesday’s robberies come after eight ATM heists were reported by authorities in Virginia, Maryland and the District on Monday between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.
The two robberies in the District took place in Northwest. One occurred in the 1700 block of 17th Street NW, and the other near the intersection of Peabody Street and North Capitol Street NW.
In Virginia, police said one robbery took place in the 6100 block of Franconia Road. Alexandria City police reported an ATM robbery in the 330 block of S. Whiting Street around 3:35 a.m. Monday.
Prince George’s police wouldn’t say where the four robberies took place on Monday. But local Fox affiliate WTTG reported that 7-Elevens were targeted in Riverdale, Chillum, Clinton and College Park.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.