SEATTLE — Officers are investigating two smash-and-grab robberies in the Seattle area after a convenience store and a Safeway were hit Tuesday morning.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) received a report of a robbery near 33rd Avenue and Rainier Avenue S around 4:15 a.m.
Thieves managed to smash the front door of a convenience store and steal the ATM, cigarettes and cash before fleeing, according to the store owner.
The SPD also told KING 5 there was another smash-and-grab at a Safeway gas station Tuesday morning just a couple blocks away at S. Charlestown Street and Rainier Avenue S.
A passerby alerted police when they saw one of the station's windows smashed. It is unclear what was stolen from the Safeway gas station or if it was related to the incident at the convenience store.
These two robberies come as the region deals with a steep rise in ATM thefts and smash-and-grab robberies.
Tuesday morning’s thefts are the third and fourth robberies along Rainier Avenue South in south Seattle in just two months, with the second happening just five days ago.
In mid-March, a Walgreens on S. Genesee Street had its front doors completely smashed in and its ATM broken into pieces.
Then on May 5, a gas station had its food mart broken into, with the thieves making away with an ATM and cash box.
It isn’t just Seattle, either. The King County Sheriff’s Office, as well as agencies in Pierce and Snohomish counties, are also reporting a rise in smash-and-grab style robberies, with many of them involving ATMs.
In March, a Walgreens in Tacoma sustained an estimated $50,000 in damage after thieves drove a truck through the front doors, and another ATM theft attempt in Renton left heavy damage to the building.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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