Stolen Colorado Springs Utilities construction bobcat driven into car wash
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A south Colorado Springs car wash is left to clean up, after someone stole a Colorado Springs Utilities construction bobcat, and drove it into their front office.
The thieves, hijacked an $80,000 machine and caused thousands of dollars in damage -- just for a few hundred dollars in quarters from the car wash off South 8th Street.
"The bobcat was driven up here and rammed into my son's car wash," said Irene Toomey. "They stole the coin changers and did extensive damage.”
Colorado Springs Utilities confirms the bobcat was stolen around 5 a.m. Wednesday from their work site on Arcturus Drive, which is walking distance from the car wash.
Watch surveillance footage of the suspects using the bobcat to ram into the building below:
The car wash owners say they called police around 7 a.m. that morning to report the incident, but no officers ever showed up to take a report.
“They've been called numerous times," said Toomey. "So we're very frustrated with the police station. Lots of damage. Money was stolen. Thank God nobody was hurt."
When KRDO asked Colorado Springs Police about their lack of response, they said they were aware of the incident, but that there were a number of higher priority calls in the Gold Hill Division that day.
The owners say they waited hours to start cleaning up the scene, in case evidence was needed for the police report.
"They could have called one of us back and explained why a unit wasn't out here by now,” said Toomey.
Colorado Springs Utilities says this is the first time a situation like this has happened under their watch, and they’re investigating how someone was even able to get a bobcat out of the locked-up site.
Springs Utilities also says they've been able to file a police report, despite the car wash owners still not hearing back from CSPD.
As of Wednesday night, the bobcat bandits are still on the loose, as the car wash owners continue to wonder why their change machine was targeted in the first place.
“What are they going to do with all those quarters?" said Toomey.
