BEAUMONT — Beaumont Police are continuing to search for up to 12 suspects who led them on a high speed chase early Thursday morning after smashing through the front of a north end Walgreen's and stealing an ATM.
Police received a burglary-in-progress call at about 3:50 a.m. and a witness told them multiple suspects in a van backed through the front of the store at East Lucas Drive and Concord Road according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
The witness told police that the suspects fled in another van and a dark colored sedan according to the release.
GET NEWS ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
Burglary suspects use van to smash into front of North Beaumont Walgreens, lead police on chase
When officers arrived at the store they discovered that the ATM had been stolen from the front of the store the release said.
When police reviewed surveillance video at the store they noted at least 12 masked suspects wearing dark clothing were involved in the burglary.
Officers also learned that the abandoned white Ford E250 van used to smash into the store had been stolen from Sam's Package Store about a block west of the scene on East Lucas just before the burglary the release said.
Later another Beaumont Police officer spotted a white Ford E250 van that matched the description of the suspect's getaway van headed west on Interstate 10 according to the release.
When the officer attempted to stop the van the driver fled leading police on a chase which continued into the Brentwood subdivision off Walden Road west of the interstate.
Officers chased the van, which police say turned out to be stolen from Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, into the 7900 block of Gleneagles Drive.
The van, followed by a police unit, crashed though a fence between two homes where both vehicles became stuck.
The suspects fled from the van, which contained the stolen ATM, into nearby woods where after an extensive search were unable to be located according to the release.
Detectives ask that anyone with information about the burglary call 409-832-1234 Crime Stoppers.
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
You could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or text "BMT" followed by your tip information to CRIMES (274637) from your mobile phone.
