Police are looking for the suspects who attempted to steal an ATM from the side of a Cleveland bank.
It happened at the Huntington Bank location on Buckeye Road, near E 116th St.
Back in February, there was a public outcry when Huntington decided to close this location due to rising crime.
RELATED: Huntington Bank withdraws filing to permanently close branch in Buckeye neighborhood
“It’s bad for the neighborhood,” said Raheem Rogers, who lives nearby and works at a barbershop across the street.
As a Huntington customer, he said he was disappointed when the bank closed. With the ATM also out of commission, he expects he’ll have to leave the neighborhood to do any banking.
“I have to stop what I’m doing and go way up Chagrin. It’s an inconvenience and I’m quite sure the other people feel the same,” he said.
The bank itself closed its doors in February. Hundreds signed a petition to keep the branch open. Some believe the grassroots efforts helped sway the bank’s decision to close temporarily instead.
“They’re going to do an evaluation over six months and then make a determination when the bank will reopen. That’s a major accomplishment,” said Bob Render, a block club leader who helped the petition drive gain momentum.
Render said he and others were already scheduled to meet with bank officials, city leaders and law enforcement on Wednesday. The attempted ATM theft happened just hours before the meeting.
“My first reaction is cussing and swearing because, of all days, here we are meeting with bank officials and somebody tries to go and get money out of the ATM machine illegally,” Render said.
He told News 5 the incident presented a silver lining. The would-be thieves were unsuccessful in stealing the ATM. Render also suspected whoever attempted to steal the ATM had likely caused other trouble in the neighborhood. He believes police will be able to use surveillance video to capture the suspects and prevent them from future crimes.
“This is probably not their first go-around. They probably have terrorized this neighborhood,” he said.
When Huntington closed, it set a 6-month timeline to work with neighbors and the city to address the neighborhood’s crime rate.
Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin said he doesn’t think the latest incident will thwart the progress they’ve made in the neighborhood.
“Whenever you’re in an urban environment, unfortunately you’re going to have to deal with some of these nuisance activities. There’s no excuse for it and it’s unacceptable,” Griffin said.
He explained the city has been tracking real-time crime statistics, and more meetings are planned in the coming months.
Neighbors said they’re cautiously optimistic about the bank reopening, though no date has been set. Render said the branch is not only a convenience for the neighborhood but also an important tool for residents and businesses.
“When you have a lending institution in the neighborhood, that’s an investment. That signals an investment in the community. That’s an asset,” he said.
News 5 reached out to Huntington Bank for comment.
“We are aware of the damage to our Buckeye Road ATM and are cooperating with police as they investigate,” a spokesperson said via email.
Huntington also said it is still working with the city in the hopes of finding a solution that will allow the branch to open again.
