Attempted ATM break-in at a Solana Beach bank

SOLANA BEACH (CNS) – An attempt to break into an ATM at a Solana Beach bank branch early Tuesday using a cutting torch ended with the cash machine in flames and two suspects fleeing empty-handed.

The suspects set off the ATM’s alarm during the failed heist shortly after 2:30 a.m. in the 600 block of Lomas Santa Fe Drive near Glencrest Drive, according to sheriff’s Lt. Clayton Lisk.

Lisk said the suspects used spray paint to cover nearby surveillance cameras.

They sped off in a black truck with a deputy in pursuit, but abandoned it and ran off after about a minute, Lisk said. A subsequent search failed to locate the pair, according to the lieutenant.