Stolen ATM found ditched near lagoon in Chicago's Douglass Park

Chicago police were investigating a stolen ATM that was found abandoned in Douglass Park on Tuesday morning on the West Side of Chicago.

Police said the ATM was recovered around 10:30 a.m. in the 2800 block of West Burkhardt Drive, near the lagoon inside the park.

People come to the West Side Park for recreation, but on this day, detectives were there trying to figure out who dumped the smashed machine, with no sign of any money.

The broken and smashed ATM was still sitting on the side of the road late Tuesday afternoon as a Chicago police forensics team photographed it and dusted it for fingerprints.

Since Christmas Day, Chicago police investigated three different ATM thefts from businesses. Two of them happened in the early morning hours on Monday. 

Video from Lucky Mini Mart captured the crooks coming in after breaking a front window, then prying the gate open. At least four guys with their faces covered go over to the ATM, lift it across the floor over a glass counter, and back out the broken window. 

"It is shocking, unfortunately, it's happening a lot. You just don't think about happening at your little shop. I come here all the time. Everyone here is super kind, and we were here Christmas Eve, right before it happened," said customer Ian Rottner.

There's an empty spot where the ATM stood. Plywood covers the front glass along Lincoln Avenue. The owners are left wondering if the machine chicago police hauled off and loaded into the truck belongs to them, while people are left wondering if these types of thefts will continue into the new year. 

"I think maybe chain them down," Rottner said.

It's not clear how much money was inside any of the stolen ATMs, but most machines can hold up to $10,000 if stocked fully.

Chicago police detectives and investigators are now trying to pinpoint where the ATM came from and exactly who left it here.