Another vehicle is driven into a store to steal an ATM in Baltimore

Thieves crashed a vehicle through the front doors of the Walgreens in the Anneslie Shopping Center area Thursday morning and stole its ATM, the latest in a run of destructive thefts of cash machines.

Four suspects driving a white minivan crashed through the front doors of the pharmacy around 3:45 a.m. and hauled out the ATM, Baltimore Police said. They got away.

Such thefts have been ongoing in the city and surrounding area, typically involving a team of suspects using stolen vehicles. One occurred at the 7-Eleven in the heart of Fells Point in September and a Walgreens in Highlandtown on Oct. 25. Baltimore County recently saw a string of such incidents, including on Oct. 14 at Security Square Mall, with thieves driving into the mall’s entrance and unsuccessfully trying to ram an ATM loose.

Few arrests have been made, but county police were able to catch one suspect fleeing an attempted ATM theft Oct. 19 at a Cockeysville bank. Kevin Carranza-Portillo, 18, is being held on $7,500 bond and facing second-degree burglary, malicious destruction of property and theft between $25,000 and $100,000, court records show.

Many stores bear signs advertising their ATMs inside. Small businesses say they rely on cash machines to make sure customers can get cash to make purchases, while owners typically receive a percentage of the fees on every transaction.

Police have said they have been instructing stores to empty the machines at night, bolt them to the floor and move them from the front of the businesses.