2 Men Attempt to Steal ATM

Orange County Sheriff's Department units are searching for two men who reportedly attempted to steal a freestanding automated cash machine from a branch of Chase Bank on the 23800 block of El Toro Road in Lake Forest Saturday morning.

The pair, described by police as African-American men wearing hoodies, set off the alarm that alerted police at 4:43 a.m., said sheriff's Lt. Lloyd Downing.

When police arrived on the scene the pair left in an allegedly stolen van. No cash was taken from the machine.

Two Laguna Hills deputies were first on scene, according to Lt. Pat Higa. They saw men driving away in a cargo van and followed the vehicle to the I-5 north ramp. The men exited the vehicle and deputies followed on a short foot pursuit. A perimeter was set up and a couple homes were searched, Higa said.

Deputies from Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel were involved in the search. Deputies on foot, K-9 units and air patrols are continuing the search for the duo.

Surveillance footage was likely recorded, but not yet available, Downing said. Police will be looking at surveillance footage from surrounding business as well.

In December of 2011, a pair of men after using a blowtorch to open and empty the machine, which they dumped in Lake Forest. It is unknown if these are the same men.