Suspect arrested for East Bay Target ATM explosion connected to international heist crew
SAN RAMON, Calif. (KGO) -- The man accused of using a bomb to steal from an ATM at an East Bay Target is being linked by investigators to a heist crew that's allegedly stolen millions.
The theft at the Target on Bishop Ranch in San Ramon happened just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday. It rattled neighbors and got the FBI's attention.
The Department of Justice announced the suspect was arrested in Orange County, and said he's the last remaining member of a South American heist crew accused of breaking into banks up and down the West Coast.
Prosecutors say the man detonated an "improvised" explosive to steal from the ATM.
MORE: Heist Halted: International crew nabbed for bank robberies across California
The suspect is accused of being a member of a South American ATM theft ring, targeting dozens ATMs and banks in California, Oregon, and Washington and stealing more than $4 million in cash.
Prosecutors say the crew used construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, cellphone jammers, and other sophisticated tactics to break into the ATMs. They rented short-term vacation properties nearby and used vehicles from the black market to avoid getting caught.
Most of the crew was arrested last year and the San Ramon suspect is the last to be caught.
The suspect is now facing a maximum of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years for conspiracy to commit bank robbery.
While some shoppers knew exactly the cause of the damage, others were shocked to learn it was an explosive device.
"Something like this never happens in San Ramon. It kind of broke my heart to see something happen like this in our community," Danville resident Gerald Stson said.
"Wow, that's like Grand Theft Auto," San Ramon resident Shek Dah said. "It's pretty scary, people walking around with explosives."
