Man uses stolen rental van in ATM heist in Acworth, police say

Acworth police are looking for a man investigators said used a U-Haul truck to break into a gas station and steal an ATM.

"Acworth is usually a quiet place, so incidents like this are few and far between," Acworth Police Lt. David St. Onge said.

Surveillance video from around 4:30 Wednesday morning shows the moments a man crashed a U-Haul van through the front of a Texaco gas station on Main Street.

"He used a U-Haul van that we believe was stolen from a U-Haul dealership in Marietta," St. Onge said.

The lieutenant explained the crook’s busy morning. The man seen on camera cased out the closed gas station. About thirty minutes later, the masked man was back, broke the window of the front door, and tried to wiggle the ATM free with no luck. 

The man then used the stolen van to back into the front of the building and got away with the ATM in the back.

"We reached out to detectives in Marietta and they had an ATM theft they believe was connected," St. Onge said.

Investigators believe the morning of crime started around 1 a.m. in Marietta when the U-Haul was reported stolen. Marietta police confirmed an incident shortly after where a man attempted to take an ATM but was unsuccessful.

They believe he then set his eyes on the Acworth Texaco.

Crews arrived Wednesday to repair the gaping hole in the front of the building. 

Investigators hope someone will recognize the man in the video and lead them to an arrest.

Anyone with information in the crime is asked to call the Acworth or Marietta police departments.