Van of thieves rams into convenience store

Around 4:45 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 31, a van forcibly backed into the front entrance of a convenience store located on the 2800 block of N.W. Market Street. Witnesses described the vehicle as similar to a Ford Econoline, white on top and green on the bottom, with decals on the side. A couple of men got out of the van, entered the business, returned with stuff and fled. Officers arrived minutes later to find the front doors rammed open. The force of colliding with the vehicle damaged both the doors and their frames, as well as the surrounding structure. An ATM machine was knocked over and it appeared suspects had attempted to break into it. The suspects also knocked over a drawer of scratch lottery tickets. Officers searched the area for the van and found it heading north on Golden Garden Drive N.W. —but they could not catch up with it in time. The owner of the store arrived around 5:25 a.m. and checked for stolen property. He said $9,000 worth of cigarettes and two drawers of lottery tickets were missing. Officers were unable to locate any fingerprints.

ATM damaged in attempted burglary on N.W. 45 Street

When officers responded to an alarm at a free-standing ATM on the 900 block of N.W. 45th Street around 5 a.m. on Fri., Dec. 30, they found the machine knocked over and damaged. A large forklift, which had been reported stolen from a nearby construction site, was next to the ATM. Representatives from the bank said they did not believe any money was accessed, but there was extensive damage to the ATM. Officers noted that the incident was similar to another that occurred early Christmas morning on Aurora Avenue N. Detectives are conducting a follow up investigation.

Apartment complex burglar makes off with power tools

Police responded to a call about a burglary at an apartment complex located on the 1600 block of N.W. 85th Street around 4:15 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 28. The property manager said he noticed the day before that the door handle in the utility closet in the parking garage was damaged. A number of tools were stolen, including a backpack blower, a gas hedger and a handsaw.

Neighbor robbed while away on vacation

Police were dispatched to the 10700 block of 2nd Avenue N.W. at 6:30 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 27 to respond to a call about a burglary. The caller is a neighbor and friend of the victim, who owns the house next door. The caller had been entrusted with keys so she could collect the mail and keep an eye on the house while the victim was away. The woman noticed lights on in the house and went inside, where she saw mail scattered on the floor. She immediately knew something was wrong. She called her son over, and they went through the house, noticing a number of items in disarray and a broken window in the living room. Officers were able to find a few fingerprints and left information for the homeowner to call upon returning from vacation.