Bandits use gas-powered saw to break into safes at AT&T stores

GALLATIN, Tenn. -At least three police agencies in Tennessee are on the look out Tuesday for bandits who broke into AT&T stores in Knoxville, Gallatin and Franklin.The alleged thieves pry open the door with a crowbar and use a gas-powered cutting saw to break open lock boxes.It happened in Gallatin last Sunday at the AT&T store on Nashville Highway.Store surveillance shows two men wearing gloves and baseball caps enter the store and run directly to the back room.Within moments, they start up the gas-powered saw and begin chewing up the metal lock that keeps thousands of dollars in both cash and electronics locked away.A smoke alarm sounded, alerting local firefighters, who then notified police.The men were inside the store for about 5 minutes and ultimately got away with $15,000 worth of laptops, tablets and smartphonesDetectives told News 2 the two men closely resemble the bandits caught doing the same thing at eight AT&T stores near Edgewater, Florida.Franklin police confirmed to News 2 that their AT&T store at Hillsboro and Mack Hatcher Parkway was also hit, but there is no video to confirm the bandits are the same men.Authorities believe they were driving a late 2000s 4-cab red Dodge Ram. Anyone with information to contact Gallatin police at 615-452-1313.