Man is charged in pair of ATM blasts
Chinatown, Burbank explosions blamed on a Glendale resident with burned hands.
Whether it’s stealing a whole ATM or taking one apart, thieves will do just about anything to crack into a machine to get to the loot.
Using explosives, however, was a first for Burbank, according to police there.
Authorities have charged Yakov Rozenoyer with doing just that, they said Tuesday.
Rozenoyer faces two counts of use of a destructive device and explosive to destroy property and three counts of vandalism, said Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Rozenoyer is also charged with one count each of second-degree commercial burglary, second-degree robbery and possession of ingredients to make a destructive device.
The investigation into Rozenoyer began April 8 when police found a mangled ATM outside Magnolia Car Wash in Burbank.
It was about 4:20 a.m. when residents reported feeling the ground shake and hearing a loud blast from several blocks away, said Sgt. Derek Green, a spokesman for the Burbank Police Department.
“It was definitely a rude awakening,” he said.
When officers arrived at the car wash, they discovered the ATM outside the cashier’s office had been blown up.
Surveillance video showed a vehicle at the scene of the explosion. Rozenoyer was identified as the owner of vehicle, Green said.
Investigators soon learned that the 35-year-old Glendale resident was also suspected of blowing up a second ATM, on March 31 at Far East National Bank in downtown Los Angeles’ Chinatown neighborhood, the sergeant said.
Despite the damage to the machines, no cash was taken in either attempt.
On Thursday, while the investigation into the explosions continued, Rozenoyer was detained in connection with an alleged theft at a Macy’s store in Eagle Rock, Green said.
During questioning in the theft, authorities noticed fresh burn marks on the suspect’s hands, so they called Burbank police. Green said Rozenoyer’s injuries were consistent with the ATM explosions.
Detectives searched Rozenoyer’s car and found evidence linking him to the ATM explosions, Green said.
Authorities believe Rozenoyer used a flammable gas to create the explosions.
Rozenoyer is being held on $500,000 bail.
Although explosive attacks on ATMs are not common in the U.S., at least 492 incidents were reported across Europe in the first six months of 2016, according to the European ATM Security Team, an organization focused on ATM crimes.