Holyrood bank smashed as stolen backhoe used for robbery; 4 arrested

The Holyrood branch of the Royal Bank of Canada was almost levelled early Monday when thieves used a stolen backhoe and other heavy equipment to break in and nab a bank machine, police said. 

The RCMP found an abandoned backhoe at the RBC branch — and a heavily damaged bank — when officers arrived at the scene on the Conception Bay Highway early Monday morning.

The force was called around 3:45 a.m. NT.

The RCMP alerted the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for assistance in finding suspects, seen using a dump truck and a pickup truck. 

The RNC halted both vehicles near Paddy's Pond, on the outskirts of St. John's, on the Trans-Canada Highway. 

Four individuals were arrested. 

The RCMP said the backhoe had been stolen from a business in Holyrood. 

WATCH: See the aftermath of an alleged robbery in Holyrood:

Police say backhoe used to steal an ATM, witness describes scene as a ‘disaster’

22 days ago

Duration 0:42

The RCMP say four people have been arrested after an RBC branch in Holyrood was smashed with a backhoe and an ATM was stolen before 4 a.m. on Monday. A woman who works nearby told Radio-Canada’s Patrick Butler the extent of the damage was extreme.

The crime occurred on a busy stretch of the highway, amid a high density of businesses, pharmacies, restaurants and homes.

"The front of the building is completely gone. You can see right through building from the front … right through to the back window," Tracy Morrell, who works near the scene, told Radio-Canada Tuesday morning.

"It's a mess. A mess. There's wood, there's debris, there's a steel beam, actually that's bent. It's a disaster."

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