Former Security Company Employee Finally Caught After Robbing ATM

Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch, 2 Years 6 Months Imprisonment and 3 Years Probation
"Sentencing Considering Settlement and Deposit with Victim"

A former security company employee who subdued a security guard, stole a vehicle and the master key for an ATM, and then withdrew about 19 million won from the cash machine was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

On the 18th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch (Chief Judge Lee Su-woong) sentenced A (37), who was charged with special robbery, confinement, and nighttime trespassing theft, to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension, according to Yonhap News on the same day. The court also ordered A to undergo 2 years of probation and 80 hours of community service.

A person named A withdrawing approximately 19 million won in cash from an ATM, captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV). [Image source: Provided by Wonju Police Station, Yonhap News Agency]

On May 6 at around 2:52 a.m., A broke into a security company office in Hakseong-dong, Wonju, Gangwon Province, wearing a hat, subdued an employee returning from patrol by tying up his hands and feet, and stole a vehicle and the master key. He then used the master key to steal 19.34 million won in cash from a NongHyup ATM and fled, leading to his prosecution.

After receiving a 112 emergency call, the police began tracking A by analyzing CCTV footage around the scene. They arrested A at 10:44 p.m. on the same day, about 20 hours after the incident, after he traveled to Gangneung using his vehicle and then returned to his residence in Wonju. A had worked at several security companies, including the one victimized this time, but was not known to have any prior convictions for similar crimes. Investigations revealed that he committed the crime due to financial pressure from debts.

Before the crime, A meticulously prepared by conducting several reconnaissance visits. He had previously broken into the security company’s management office and hidden behind a work partition. When the security guard returned from patrol, A ambushed and quickly subdued him, tying his hands and feet. The employee reportedly sustained abrasions.

Familiar with the site from his reconnaissance, A immediately drove the stolen vehicle to a NongHyup branch after seizing the vehicle and ATM master key, placed 19.43 million won in cash into a bag he had prepared, and then walked home. To avoid exposing his route, he took several detours while walking. Of the cash stolen from the ATM, about 2 million won had already been used to repay debts, and only about 17 million won was recovered at the time of arrest.

The first trial court explained the sentencing by stating, "The defendant admitted to the crime, reached a settlement with the victim security company employee who did not want prosecution, and criminally deposited 5 million won for the victim financial institution, all of which were considered in determining the sentence."