SAN ANTONIO – Three men were arrested Thursday in connection with an ATM theft ring that San Antonio police Chief William McManus said was highly organized.
Randall Andre Bell Jr., Terry Coddel Bradford and Robert Herman Smith were arrested on the city's North Side after they stole $98,400 from an ATM, according to a court document.
The trio were in a 2006 white Hummer H3 that pulled into the Chase Bank at 5258 De Zavala Road, where a technician was working on an ATM, the document said.
The technician told police that Bradford (pictured, below) and Bell got out of the Hummer and ran toward the ATM, the document said.
One of men tried to punch the technician, but missed, and the technician ran to a nearby restaurant.
The men drove off on Interstate 10 and pulled into the Dominion Country Club, where they ran but were quickly apprehended, the document said.
McManus said the group, which was operating out of Houston, was targeting bank branches throughout the state and would prey on ATM technicians.
"Yesterday, they made a mistake and came here to San Antonio and try to do it," McManus said.
Thursday's incident wasn't the first time the men targeted San Antonio, McManus said.
"This time, we were ready for them," he said.
The men were charged with bank robbery and could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
A similar arrest made in Laredo several weeks ago may be connected to the ring, and McManus said the investigation was ongoing.
The FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety and the San Antonio Police Department were among the agencies involved in the investigation.