The surveillance video shows the stolen dually truck ramming a Nissan Murano, and the driver stopped to wait for cars to pass before he continued.
For several minutes cars were pushed aside, ripping fenders off and bending frames, until two men finally reveal the reason they were there -- to get a safe.
Visalia Police say the thieves showed up with a plan. "What they did, and the amount of time that they spent there, yea, it does appear that they knew where they were going and what they wanted," said Paul Esquibel, Visalia Police Department.
Once the burglars cleared a path, they quickly drove to a back business office and punched a huge hole through the building with the truck. Then they teamed up to lift a heavy safe into the getaway car before driving away. Different camera angles showed bandanas covered their faces during the heist.
Troy Doughty works at premier auto sales. He says for all the trouble the thieves went through, they ended up with minimal money. "I think they were hoping for a big payday, but there was nothing to be had in that safe anyway."
Investigators are now analyzing the surveillance video. The stolen truck was found hours later near Goshen and the safe was recovered outside Woodlake. Crime scene processors collected evidence from both locations.
Police and employees at the used car dealership are wondering who pulled off the bold burglary, and suspect they were familiar with some business practices at the car lot.
The owners of Premier Auto Sales are increasing security and changing the way money is handled. But they want to warn other businesses about the bold burglars, who caused in excess of $70-thousand dollars in damages for a small payout.
