In a failed Christmas Eve heist, two individuals destroyed a gas station 7-Eleven in Fort Worth, Texas, after ripping an ATM from inside of the convenience store.

According to the White Settlement Police Department, at around 3:44 a.m., one of the two male suspects tied a metal cable to the machine at the store on S. Cherry Lane before attempting to drive off in an SUV that had been stolen less than an hour before the crime.

The department told Newsweek that there were no updates regarding the identity of suspects for either the attempted robbery or the theft of the SUV as of early Friday morning.

Why It Matters

Police have recovered the ATM following the incident, according to the city’s police chief, but the attempted heist caused “significant glass and door damage to the front of the store.”

Authorities are still searching for the two suspects, and several police departments are cooperating in the manhunt which is potentially linked to a string of similar incidents at other convenience stores over the past few weeks.

What To Know

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, officers responded to a call that a man had broken a window at the store.

“As officers arrived, they saw extensive damage to the front doors and windows of the store with debris, shelving, and merchandise scattered throughout the store and into the parking lot,” White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook posted to X. “Within two minutes of arriving at the store, the suspects had already fled the scene with the ATM in tow via a metal cable.”

Surveillance footage of the incident was shared online by the department, and shows the moment one suspect breaks into the store, ties a cable to the ATM, before the pair drive off in an SUV with the machine still attached. The two videos show the wreckage caused when the ATM tore through the front of the store.

Neither the store clerk nor the customer who was inside at the time sustained any injuries, the White Settlement Police Department said.

The ATM later became dislodged from the cable and was abandoned, and authorities were also able to locate the stolen SUV about a mile from where the incident occurred.

“Detectives are also working with neighboring police departments as other cities have experienced two similar incidents at convenience stores within the past two weeks,” Cook said on Wednesday.

What People Are Saying

The White Settlement Police Department wrote on Facebook: “It appears the suspects abandoned the SUV and either fled on foot or may have entered a secondary unknown vehicle. It was later determined the SUV was stolen at a Dallas apartment complex an hour before the offense in White Settlement.

“Both suspects were described as two men wearing black hooded sweatshirts, black pants, facial masks, and orange gloves. One man had white sneakers and the other man had black tennis shoes.”

The police department told Newsweek on Friday morning: “There are currently no updates on the identification of the suspects involved for both the attempted ATM robbery and the stolen SUV. It is believed that the suspects who stole the SUV are the same individuals involved in the ATM robbery, but detectives are still investigating. We received information that there have been other similar attempts recently in other areas. Our team is working with other detectives to share information and confirm on whether they are the same suspects.”

What Happens Next

Anyone with information has been encouraged to contact the White Settlement Police Department. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be entitled to a cash reward if the information leads to an arrest, the department said.

Update 12/26/25, 9:40 a.m. ET: This article was update with a response from the White Settlement Police Department.