DETROIT – Four would-be thieves probably are wishing they'd found a better use for their time than trying to steal an ATM from inside a Detroit laundromat.
Surveillance cameras caught their every move -- from the moment they walked in about 5 a.m. to the moment they were brought out in handcuffs.
Coin-O-Matic employee Mike Turner was there for everything in between.
"One of them was saying, 'Hurry up!' but that was it. I heard a lot of banging," he said.
With hoods up and masks on, Turner knew these guys weren't looking to wash a load of laundry. He went straight to the back of the place and called 911.
"I knew there was nobody here. The only thing around the corner is the ATM, so that's what they were going for," said Turner.
No matter how hard they tried, the thieves couldn't get the ATM's goods. They used a crowbar, their hands and had a guy act as a lookout. However, their determination gave Detroit police plenty of time to make their entrance.
"I saw three guys on the ground, one of them was saying he didn't do anything," said Turner.
Police were able to arrest three of the four thieves. One got away. A 23-year-old, 38-year-old and 53-year-old were arrested.
"I guess they thought the police weren't going to get here in time, and I guess they were wrong," said Tim Schaefer, the laundromat's service manager.
Schaefer is proud of his employee and glad to know this team of bandits won't be at it again.
"You can't prepare for something like this. This is quick thinking. That's what happened. I am glad nobody got hurt," he said.