ST. GEORGE — An alarm activation early Wednesday morning led to the arrest of five suspects who allegedly stole cash from an ATM machine in front of a bank branch on Sunset Boulevard, after a multi-agency pursuit that continued in Virgin.
At 3:45 a.m. officers responded to an alarm activation at Chase Bank on Sunset Boulevard in St. George and arrived to find the ATM machine located near the front of the building sustained heavy damage.
St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell told St. George News that officers determined the equipment had been vandalized during what appeared to have been an attempted theft, and once officers viewed the security footage they determined there were multiple suspects involved. Detectives also learned an undisclosed amount of cash was taken from the machine before all five suspects fled in two vehicles.
Mitchell also said as detectives were processing the scene on Sunset Boulevard, the St. George Communications Center sent out an “attempt to locate” that was broadcasted to all officers in the area to be on the lookout for the two vehicles that were captured by the bank’s security footage.
In the meantime, officers in Hurricane heard the broadcast within minutes of the call, Hurricane Police Officer Dan Raddatz told St. George News.
Raddatz also said officers were able to stop one of the vehicles right away, while the second vehicle “took off” and continued east, he said.
In the first vehicle officers found two suspects and both were arrested and detained by police.
Deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the pursuit of the second vehicle that continued through LaVerkin and into Virgin, Raddatz said, and in Virgin he vehicle pulled off the highway “and all three suspects bailed on foot,” he said.
Officers followed the suspects’ footprints through the snow, and within minutes, he said, two of the suspects were detained while the third man continued to run from police.
Raddatz added that officers followed the tracks of the third suspect that led to a small shed the suspect was hiding in, and when the K-9 team was deployed, the man came out and was taken into custody without further incident. In total, six individuals were arrested, four of whom are from Texas, while the remaining two hail from Louisiana and Missouri.
Officers also were dispatched to the Econolodge on State Street in Hurricane where the suspects, who allegedly involved in the theft, were staying to conduct a room search.
Since the theft involved an ATM machine at a bank branch, St. George detectives contacted the FBI.
Sandra Barker, Public Affairs Specialist at the FBI office in Salt Lake City, confirmed the agency is assisting the St. George Police Department and several local agencies in the investigation.
In a statement released by the St. George Police Department, Mitchell requested that anyone who may have found cash located on the west side of St. George contact the St. George Police Department immediately, as it is part of a felony theft and is not considered found property. She also said anyone who keeps the currency could be charged with theft.
Mitchell also said the incident is part of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and several law enforcement agencies.
This report is based on statements from police, arrest records and other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Photo gallery
Hurricane Police at scene of foot pursuit with suspects in ATM cash theft reported at a bank in St. George, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News File photo of area in Virgin where foot pursuit involving multiple suspects allegedly involved ATM cash theft reported at a bank in St. George, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News File photo of damaged ATM at the Chase Bank branch on Sunset Boulevard after multiple suspects reportedly break into machine in St. George, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Hurricane Police at scene of foot pursuit in Virgin involving suspects allegedly responsible for ATM cash theft reported at a bank in St. George, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News ATM machine is damaged at the Chase Bank branch on Sunset Boulevard after multiple suspects reportedly break into machine in St. George, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News ATM machine is damaged at the Chase Bank branch on Sunset Boulevard after multiple suspects reportedly break into machine in St. George, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Officers in front of Econolodge in Hurricane where multiple suspects reportedly involved in ATM theft are staying, Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News 
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