Staff Reports
Two individuals used a stolen utility truck to rip an ATM from its foundation in a Lake City Ameris Bank drive-thru Friday morning before fleeing police on foot.
According to a Lake City Police Department (LCPD) release, officers were dispatched at 4:52 a.m. to an alarm at Ameris Bank (2357 W. US Highway 90). When they arrived, officers discovered an ATM missing from its foundation near the bank’s drive-thru.
Drag marks were seen on the asphalt leading through the Lake City Mall parking lot heading northeast. Another officer then observed a white utility truck traveling north and dragging the ATM on NW Bascom Norris Drive. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, two occupants got out of the truck and fled on foot into a wooded area. The utility truck was reported stolen from Madison County.
LCPD officers, with assistance from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), established a perimeter and called for help from the Baker Correctional Institution’s K-9 unit. The Florida Highway Patrol’s drone unit and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office air unit also provided support to locate the suspects. The two suspects are still reportedly on the run.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrived on the scene to assist with the investigation and the CCSO crime scene unit processed evidence.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call LCPD Sgt. Kevin Johns at 386-752-4343.