Alleged Seattle ATM theft ringleader who used Jaws of Life is set for court
Mar 5, 2025, 8:02 AM | Updated: 8:03 am
Police identified Scott Rhodes as the ATM theft ring leader. Surveillance shows him carrying Jaws of Life used in multiple ATM thefts, according to prosecutors. (Surveillance photos from King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)
(Surveillance photos from King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office)
Seattle police arrested Scott Rhodes, 30, on March 5 in connection with a string of ATM thefts totaling more than $1 million.
Rhodes is accused of leading a four-person crew that used the Jaws of Life, a hydraulic tool commonly used in firefighting, to break into the ATMs. The crew also caused over $500,000 in property damage, including the destruction of a BECU branch in Fremont, where they used a stolen forklift to access two ATMs, according to prosecutors.
Rhodes was arrested by a SWAT team in Pierce County after attempting to flee a parked car, dropping a bag of suspected cocaine, and being bitten by a police dog. He faces charges of theft, burglary, malicious mischief, and possession of burglary tools. Rhodes is being held on $250,000 bail for those charges.
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Alleged ATM theft not just in Seattle
Police say Rhodes and his crew are also suspected of similar ATM thefts in Oregon.
Police have identified two other crew members, a husband and wife, but the fourth suspect, a woman, remains unidentified. The suspects were reportedly well-covered to conceal their identities and used stolen vehicles during the heists, which took place in the early morning hours.
“In the process of committing the crimes, the male suspects often used the ‘Jaws of Life’ tools to either cut and pry directly into ATM’s, or to dislodge safes from their secure positions where they has been mounted,” said a Seattle Police detective in a probable cause documents. “The male suspects also often used the Jaws of Life to pry open locked doors to gain entry into closed and locked businesses. Massive amounts of property damage have been caused in the course of the crimes.”
This is not the alleged Seattle ATM theft ringleader’s only criminal accusations
In a separate case, Rhodes faces charges of first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault. He allegedly held a man at gunpoint, forced him to use a sex toy, broke his nose, and made him smoke drugs. Rhodes is accused of recording the assault on his phone. Bail in that case has been set at $2 million.
According to prosecutors, detectives began investigating the crew in October after surveillance footage and a police bulletin led to Rhodes’ identification. Rhodes has been wanted on a bench warrant since February 2024 after failing to appear for his arraignment on a stolen vehicle charge.
Rhodes is linked to multiple ATM thefts, including one on December 26 at a Wells Fargo branch in Greenwood, where nearly $195,000 was stolen, and another on January 27 at the Fremont BECU branch, where a stolen forklift was used to access the machines.
