Arrests made in 4th straight robbery with heavy equipment
BMO latest target, following robberies at TD, Sobeys and Scotiabank
Police have arrested two men in St. John's after a front-end loader tore into a bank early Saturday morning, marking the fourth time in a week that heavy equipment was used to break into a business on the northeast Avalon.
BREAKING NEWS - As a result of this mornings attempted theft of an ATM machine we have arrested two males. The investigation is on-going with further details to follow.
—@RNC_PoliceNLThe machine was ditched outside the BMO branch on Newfoundland Drive, in the city's east end.
- Excavator used to tear into Scotiabank in C.B.S.
- Windows smashed, ATM stolen by heavy equipment in St. John's — 2nd time in 2 days
The loader was used to gain access to an automated teller machine.
The robbery triggered an alarm at 4:35 a.m. that brought the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to the scene.
Following the break-in, officers stopped a vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway and arrested two men in connection with the crime, police said.
Jamie Kennedy, 40, and Cory Quilty, 41, were both charged with break and enter, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and other firearms offences.
In addition Kennedy was also charged with possession of property obtained by crime and public mischief, while Quilty is charged with possession of a weapon obtained by crime.
Both men appeared in provincial court Saturday.
String of break-ins
It's the fourth daring crime in a string of unusual break-ins involving different kinds of heavy equipment.
Last Sunday, a front-end loader was used to cut open a TD Bank branch on Elizabeth Avenue in St. John's.
On Monday, a backhoe was used to smash through four windows at Sobeys on Kelsey Drive, where an ATM was stolen.
Then on Friday, an excavator was used to rob a Scotiabank branch in the Long Pond area of Conception Bay South.
Saturday's crime drew a variety of responses on social media:
The Backhoe Bandit strikes again.
—@HillierHollyCopycat robberies or the same people? Somethings gotta be done about this.. soon won’t be able to go to a bank they will be all under construction...
—@GlenLuffAt least they are equal opportunity bandits,,withdrawals from 3 different banks now.
—@NfldPathfinderPolice should park heavy equipment near the banks and hop in it and wait for it all to happen then squat them to the pavement underneath the machine when it happens. This is terrible people are doing this & causing damage. Make them pay.
—@TJCOnly4You1With files from John Gushue