December 31, 2009

BY KIM JANSSEN Staff Reporter

Bungling gunmen who tied up staff at a North Side scrap-metal plant were too puny to escape with their loot Wednesday morning.

The pair of weak-armed robbers tried to steal an ATM from Sims Metal Management in the 1500 block of West Cortland but gave up because it was too heavy.

After using duct tape to tie up staff in a bathroom, they made off in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee, Chicago Police said. Staff called police at 6:45 a.m. after they managed to free themselves.

A free-standing ATM weighs about 250 pounds, according to ATM manufacturer Cabe and Cato.

Mark Guy, 48, who makes $20 to $30 a day selling the scrap he collects in a shopping cart to Sims Metal, said the ATM is used to pay scrappers.

"You need a truck to make real money doing this," he said. That, or "you could take the whole ATM."

Or try anyway.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1966873,CST-NWS-ATM31.article