Two burglars were thwarted in their efforts to steal an automatic teller machine from the Turlock Veterans of Foreign War Post 5059 hall, but they did cause plenty of damage in the attempt and made off with some vintage rifles and alcohol.

The rifles had been modified so that they are not capable of being fired, according to club officials.

The break in at the VFW hall at 1405 E. Linwood Avenue is believed to have occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Surveillance footage from the break in show two white males using an extended cab pickup truck to ram through the facility’s locked gate.

The suspects gained entry into the VFW’s canteen by prying open a metal side door. They then tried to remove the ATM by wrapping a cable around it and pulling it loose with the pickup truck. The effort was to no avail as the ATM remained bolted in place.

The two suspects left the VFW hall, but returned a few minutes later with additional tools and went to work on the ATM again. The thieves tried to pry the ATM from the floor, but only caused damage to the machine and the floor.

With their effort a bust, the thieves opted to take two World War I and World War II rifles that were on display at the hall. The bolts from both guns had been removed so they cannot be fired. The thieves also took some alcohol from the facility.

The VFW estimated the damage at in the thousands of dollars.

The suspects were described as two white males. They were driving a white extended cab pickup truck. VFW officials stated the pickup truck had been recovered Tuesday and was a stolen vehicle.

Anyone with information about the burglary or the suspects is asked to contact the Turlock Police Department at 668-5550.