Police are investigating thefts that occurred early Monday morning at Waterloo and Red Bud gas stations.

At about 12:30 a.m., four Black males entered Mobil On The Run, 1000 N. Illinois Route 3, Waterloo, with one of them using a crowbar to break into a video gambling machine and steal an undisclosed amount of money.

The men fled in a black 2023 Nissan Altima with Texas plates that was seen traveling north on Route 3 toward Columbia.

“The employee didn’t know what happened until the suspects were gone and he noticed the machine damaged,” Waterloo Police Chief Dane Luke said of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the WPD at 618-939-3377.

Per an Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network broadcast, this suspect vehicle was seen later on Route 159 near Smithton, and again about 1:30 a.m. on Route 15 in Belleville.

A similar robbery also occurred at Moto Mart at 900 S. Main Street in Red Bud shortly before 1 a.m.

Per Red Bud police, a Black male used a long screwdriver or small crowbar to pry open the panel to a cash box on a video gaming machine inside that gas station. He removed the cash box and walked out of the gaming room. Two other suspects bought fountain drinks while the one man committed the theft.

Fresh blood marks were observed on a wall near the damaged gaming machine in the Red Bud theft, police said.

In addition to the Waterloo and Red Bud incidents, police learned that a gaming machine theft occurred in Fairview Heights the previous night.

The same suspects reportedly committed the same crime again Monday night at Moto Mart in Red Bud, which was followed by a police pursuit of the suspect vehicle on Route 159 north toward Belleville. The pursuit continued into Belleville and then onto I-255, after which the suspects evaded capture.

Early Tuesday morning, it was reported that the suspect vehicle was found unoccupied outside an apartment complex in Venice, with multiple subjects running from the scene upon police arrival.