BELEN, N.M. – A local business in Belen is still picking up the pieces after two thieves broke in and tried stealing an ATM Sunday.

While they didn’t get away with anything, they caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to Roadrunner Pit Stop. They smashed a window to get in, then tied a rope to the ATM and tried dragging it out of the store.

“It caused a lot of damage, there was a lot of force. All the store frontage windows are completely ruined. We have to, we’ll have to replace the entire storefront,” said Carlo Trujillo, co-owner of Roadrunner Pit Shop and Fat Sat’s Bar Grill. 

The Roadrunner Pit Stop is still cleaning up the damage after two men broke into the store and tried stealing the ATM Sunday morning around 4:30.

“On the video we could see that they had a sledgehammer which they left here, sledgehammer and crowbar, and they busted through the front door. They jumped in through the front door after they busted the glass, and they tied an ATM, which was located in the store to the right, they tied it with a very thick cable which was attached to a heavy-duty truck,” said Trujillo.  

Trujillo says the thieves only made it about 70 feet before the stolen truck they were in broke down, leaving the ATM inside the store.

“They were trying to get the truck started. I think that was their only getaway vehicle. But then shortly after they came in and actually physically picked up the ATM, took it out the door and drug it in the back where we found where we actually found it, where they tried to try to open it and get into it,” Trujillo said. 

Luckily, Trujillo says the thieves weren’t able to get into the machine. But, the damage they caused is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We had a kitchen here in the front that we make breakfast burritos and lunch burritos every day. That’s a big source of our income here, and everything was completely ruined. It actually threw some of our griddles through the window and caused a lot of damage. So we had to get rid of everything. So there’s absolutely nothing left,” said Trujillo. 

This also comes as he and his family try to reopen their restaurant, Fat Sat’s Bar and Grill, next month. It closed during the pandemic.

“We’re going to do everything we can to minimize the impact, but I mean it’s just going to be a big inconvenience, something that a hurdle that we didn’t expect to have,” Trujillo said. 

Trujillo says his family started the businesses 17 years ago.

“The gas station’s open, and the community if you can come and fuel up here and whether it’s here or whether it’s on another family-owned business, just try and support your family-owned businesses,” said Trujillo. 

Belen police are investigating the burglary. They’re looking to identify the suspects through video surveillance.