A Mira Mesa man used a pair of homemade bombs to try to blow up ATMs in San Diego, authorities said, but he didn't make off with any cash.
Instead, he walked away with federal charges.
According to federal authorities, Son Nguyen, 44, twice unsuccessfully tried to steal money from ATMs in the University City and Rancho Bernardo neighborhoods in June. Investigators said they identified Nguyen as the prime suspect after reviewing surveillance video and identifying him by his vehicle's license plate and facial features.
On Friday, authorities arrested Nguyen and charged him with two counts of using explosives to damage property. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“Fortunately, none of these incidents resulted in injuries or theft of money,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in San Diego said in a news release Friday. “With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in today’s search, future attempts were also thwarted.”
Authorities have charged a San Diego man with using explosives to try to rob ATMs.
(United States Attorney's Office)
Both incidents occurred before dawn. Authorities say Nguyen made his first attempt on June 8 at an ATM outside a coastal California credit union, using a makeshift bomb constructed from a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout and a black plastic tube. The device caused an explosion, but no cash was taken, according to the Justice Department.
According to authorities, a few weeks later, Nguyen attacked an ATM at First Citizen's Bank in Rancho Bernardo, about 20 miles north of the first attempt, using the same technique. This time, the ATM's electrical wiring caught fire, according to authorities, causing smoke but not allowing the theft of money.
Neither the San Diego Fire Department nor the U.S. Attorney's Office provided an estimate of the property damage that occurred.
In a search of Nguyen’s residence, investigators found ingredients needed to make black powder and other equipment and clothing believed to have been used in the robbery attempts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Black powder, a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur, is a type of explosive that can be easily made at home using household products and other chemicals available on the Internet.
This is not the first time that would-be thieves have tried to open an ATM for what they assume would be a quick robbery, only to come away empty-handed.
Two years ago, a blast at a Bank of America ATM in Palmdale was so loud it blew out the store's windows and was heard a mile away. Despite the force of the explosion, the ATM did not release its contents. There have been no arrests in that case.
