Valentine’s Day is upon us! And at AMAROK, we believe that nothing says, “I love you” like a 7000-volt perimeter security fence around your work property. Speaking of love, while we don’t like property crime, we absolutely love property-crime stories, especially the ones that didn’t execute exactly according to plan.
So, in honor of St. Valentine—who was a victim of property theft, himself, when Roman Emperor Claudius II ripped off his head—we proudly present two of our favorite funny property-crime stories.
#1. “We’re robbing WHAT?”
Many criminals focus on specific types of property to steal. Some prefer automobile parts. Others favor raw materials, like steel or copper. And then there’s that special group that goes after the more bizarre targets —like the men who raided an adult-novelty warehouse in Las Vegas.
Twice.
During their first heist, the criminals broke into the warehouse and successfully stole 30,000 condoms. Over-joyed by their success (or perhaps upset that they’d forgotten to steal anything more valuable than latex rubber), they returned the very next evening.
This time, they rammed their vehicle through the warehouse’s delivery door and then shattered the rear window of their own car because it was the only way to load the merchandise. The thieves made off with a surplus of adult novelty products worth $15,000—minus the cost of repairing the getaway car.
Here’s the punchline: the company had already scheduled a PR event the following week to give away thousands of condoms for free to the public.
“They could have just waited and asked for them like everyone else, instead of ruining the paintwork on a perfectly good SUV,” said one commenter.
“Just grabbing a few items for me and the missus.” (Photo Source – CNBC)
#2. ‘Too Much Money’
On August 2, 2010, four men armed with rifles and handguns parked their Pontiac Grand Prix outside ATM Solutions, a St. Louis-based company that sells and services ATM machines.
They over-powered two security guards and forced them to unlock the safe full of crisp bills in $20 and $100 denominations. At the time, the robbers had no clue how much money was sitting there. Of course, we know now.
$6.6 million.
Some criminals tend to overlook the little details, which can often cause their plans to fail. For example, the robbers didn’t account for how heavy $6 million in cash might be (it’s over 1,000 pounds). And the combined weight of the four men was about 700 pounds.
For reference, a standard nine-foot cargo van can haul 4,000 pounds.
A Pontiac Grand Prix? Not so much.
The thieves were forced to steal one of ATM Solutions’ armored vans to haul the loot home. When they arrived, they discovered the van wouldn’t fit cleanly inside their one-car garage. So, they rammed it in, scraping the roof and busting off the side mirrors. Then, while celebrating a felony well-done, they locked the keys inside and had to smash a window to get back in.
But now the semi-successful criminals had a bigger problem: there was too much money. Too much to count, too much to hide, and too much to prevent the entire crew from telling everybody about their prosperous day.
There’s even too much of this story to include in this blog. Eventually, all four men were arrested, tried and sentenced to prison—along with 13 other people, some of whom helped hide the cash and others who stole part of the money from the original stealers.
And yet, while the bad guys were caught, authorities only recovered about half the money.
“Well, at least they filled up the gas tank before abandoning the getaway van.”
(Photo source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
The Moral of the Blog
And so, as we end our Valentine celebration of the bad guys who make us laugh, we’d like to highlight a few serious points:
1. Not all thieves are stupid.
2. Neither of the two property owners mentioned above was an AMAROK customer.
3. And 98% of our clients have yet to experience a break-in after installing our electrified perimeter security fences. Just saying.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Be sure to share the love—and share this blog.
The Ultimate Perimeter Solution
AMAROK is the ultimate perimeter security solution because it deters thieves, so there is no need to deal with the aftermath of a crime. AMAROK deters criminals in three ways; a shock deterrent, physical deterrent and alarm deterrent. Installing the Electric Guard Dog system is an effective way to prevent cargo theft at your business.
About AMAROK:
AMAROK™ is a full-perimeter security company based in Columbia, South Carolina, that provides commercial security services throughout the United States and Canada. Specializing in electric fencing and perimeter security systems for commercial properties, AMAROK also provides supplemental surveillance solutions, including cameras, lights, and alarms. Together, these business security services form the ultimate crime prevention solution for any business.
