Black-clad wannabe thugs — at least one of them armed — try their hands at ripping off Philly ATM. Despite their earnest kicking and pounding, it's a hilarious fail.



Four black-clad crooks — at least one of whom was armed with a gun — attempted to break into an ATM sitting inside a Philadelphia gas station store early Tuesday morning.

Despite their persistent efforts — kicking and pounding and tugging on the cash-dispensing machine as surveillance video recorded it all — the fearsome foursome eventually gave up and ran back to their getaway vehicles.

What are the details?

The sight of the four masked crooks exiting their two vehicles in front of the 52nd Street Gas Station and running into the store just before 2:30 a.m. gives one the sense that they mean business.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

But business was about to go belly-up for them.

One member of the quartet immediately pulled a gun on the store's clerk as another held the door, presumably in anticipation of a quick heist.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The only thing that was speedy, however, was the thugs figuring out they weren't up to the task.

The other two fellows rammed their bodies into the ATM, kicked it over and over, and tugged at it with all their might, but they weren't able to come up with what they wanted.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

About 20 seconds later, they were hightailing it out of the store, getting back into their vehicles, and heading off into the night — a hilarious fail.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Philadelphia police asked for the public's help in identifying this crew of amateurs, saying anyone with information can call police at 215-686-8477 or 215-686-3183. Folks also can text tips to PPDTIP (773847) or email them to tips@phillypolice.com. Interested parties also can leave anonymous tips.

Robbery 1501 N 52nd St DC 22 19 061316 youtu.be

Anything else?

Crooks targeting ATMs in the City of Brotherly Love haven't always been successful.

Sure, a gun-toting masked man threatened a worker inside a deli while his accomplice dragged an ATM out of the corner market in the 200 block of West Olney Avenue last month — but another guy lost his life in 2020 while reportedly trying to blast open an ATM by Sidekicks Sports Bar.

Woman with concealed carry license shoots at crooks who pointed gun at her, tried to steal her car in Chicago — and 13-year-old male with crooks is shot



A woman with a concealed carry license shot at a group of males who pointed a gun at her as they attempted to steal her car in Chicago last week — and a 13-year-old male who was with the would-be thieves was shot, police told WBBM-TV.

What are the details?

Four to five males were trying to break into a parked car in the 1100 block of East 52nd Street in Hyde Park at 7:58 p.m. Friday, police told the station.

The 34-year-old woman who owns the car confronted the group, after which one of them pulled a gun and pointed it at her, police told WBBM.

With that, the woman fired her own gun at the group and hit one of the would-be thieves — a 13-year-old male, police told the station.

The boy was struck in the neck and taken to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital in fair condition, police added to WBBM.

The rest of the would-be thieves? Police said they all ran off, and no weapon was recovered, and no one else was injured, the station reported.

Crime victims in Chicago fighting back

The incident is the latest example in recent days of crime victims in Chicago fighting back.

Last Monday, a robbery victim stabbed to death a 15-year-old male who pulled a gun on him aboard a Chicago train.

A man was on a Red Line train near 63rd Street just after 3 a.m. when a group of seven approached him, and one member of the group — the 15-year-old male — pulled out a gun in an apparent attempt to rob the man, WBBM-TV reported in a separate story, citing Chicago police chief of detectives Brendan Deenihan.

Deenihan told the station the man pulled out a knife and stabbed the gun-wielding 15-year-old male, who fled the scene with everyone else and later died at a hospital.

In addition, six people with weapons attacked and tried to rob a train passenger early in the morning of July 22, but the victim pulled a knife and fought back. Three of the suspects were wounded and hospitalized, all six were arrested, but the victim also was wounded and hospitalized.

The 42-year-old victim got on a train at Addison Street on the North Side around 2 a.m., when three people tried to take his cellphone and began attacking him, police Superintendent David Brown said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

During the struggle, the victim took out a small knife and stabbed one of his attackers in the back, the paper said.

At the North/Clybourn stop, the three robbers left the train as a fourth person entered it and began attacking the victim, Brown added to the Sun-Times, after which the victim stabbed that attacker in the neck, and the attacker stabbed the victim in the collarbone.

With that, six suspects began chasing the victim around the train platform and train cars, Brown said, according to the paper. In addition, two of the suspects hit the victim in the head with a glass bottle and other objects, Brown added, the Sun-Times said.

Three of the six robbers were hospitalized, the paper said, adding that the victim was hospitalized in serious condition. He suffered stab wounds and cuts, Patch said.

Shawn Gullens, 20, Latoya Thomas, 22, Martinez Owens, 24, and Larone Williams, 36, were charged with one felony count of armed robbery with a dangerous weapon and one felony count of aggravated battery to a transit employee, WBBM said. Vernon Holman, 52, was charged with one felony count of armed robbery and one felony count of battery with the use of a deadly weapon, the station added. It isn't clear what happened to the sixth arrested person.

'Do not fight back. Be compliant'

In response to the most recent stabbing, Chicago Transit Authority vice president of security Kevin Ryan told WBBM that victims fighting back isn't wise: "What the Chicago police will tell you to do — do not fight back. Be compliant. Do not put yourself in harm's way further."

Ryan told WBBM up to 250 unarmed security guards are patrolling the CTA system daily; the station said the stated goal is to have 300.