Burglars steal ATM from Mexican restaurant in Bridgeport: VIDEO

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A brazen burglary at a Bridgeport Mexican restaurant was captured on surveillance video, and the thieves were in and out in just two minutes.

The thieves targeted the restaurant's ATM, getting away with around $4,000 in cash.

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The owner of Taqueria San Jose told ABC7 she helplessly watched them get away on her surveillance cameras after getting the call from Chicago police, even as the robbery was still in progress.

The whole thing was over within two minutes. Surveillance video showed a dark-colored SUV pull up in front of the restaurant in the 3100 block of South Halsted Street at 5:34 a.m. By 5:35 a.m., three burglars had gained access, pulled the ATM out of its sockets and rolled it out of the front door. By 5:36 a.m., the ATM had been loaded into the back of the vehicle and the burglars were off.

Speaking to ABC7 in Spanish on Sunday, restaurant owner Leticia Navarro said passerby called 911 and police called her in real time.

"I ran to the cameras and saw them leaving," Navarro said. "I was very scared. Thank God it happened when no one was there."

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Navarro said the restaurant, which closes at 2 a.m., usually still has people cleaning up until around 3:30 a.m.

"I've had this business for 20 years, here in Bridgeport," said Navarro said, whose restaurant is just steps from CPD's District 9.

The theft happened a day after CPD put out an alert in response to two other recent ATM thefts in the 9th District, including one at the Shell gas station at 35th and Damen just Saturday.

While the vehicle and the number of people involved appears to differ, like the crime Sunday morning, the thieves all struck in the 5 a.m. hour.

Chicago police have not said if they believe this latest ATM theft is connected to the one on Saturday. The investigation is still ongoing.

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