Staff report

As many as a dozen suspects — they all wore masks and dark clothing — were involved in an early Thursday break-in at Walgreen’s, 3990 E. Lucas, in Beaumont. An ATM machine was taken in the heist.

Beaumont police said in an issued statement they responded at 3:50 a.m. to the pharmacy, where the suspects used a vehicle to back into the store and gain entry.

A witness said suspects left the store in a dark sedan and a white van. They left behind the Ford E-250 van used to back into the store, a vehicle that was later determined to have been stolen from Sam’s Package Store four blocks away.

Beaumont police said in an issued statement that a white Ford E-250 van — it matched the description of the getaway vehicle given to police — was sighted by an officer who attempted to make a traffic stop. The suspects fled and later abandoned the van, which was apparently stolen from Cheddar’s restaurant, on Gleneagles Drive.

The ATM was inside the vehicle, police said; a police spokeswoman said she didn’t think the ATM had been accessed.

Police said they made an extensive search of the area around Gleneagles, but were unable to find the suspects. Police reviewed surveillance video, which suggested there were at least 12 suspects involved.

Police said they were unsure how much damage was done to the pharmacy or what else might have been taken. The spokesman said police have encountered such large-scale, organized criminal efforts before.

The investigation was continuing.

Anyone with information about the crime should call police at 409-832-1234 or Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers at 409-833-8477.