Masked intruders use front-end loader as battering ram in Coles break-in
A front-end loader has been used a battering ram to break into a shopping centre in Melbourne's west.
The heavy machinery barrelled through the front of the Coles supermarket in Taylors Hill just before 5am this morning – in clear view of staff already at work inside the store.
Two masked offenders repeatedly rammed the building - shattering glass windows, ripping electrical wires out of the roof and toppling the cash machines.
The supermarket was severely damaged by the attack, but nothing was stolen from the store. 9News
The front-end loader was found 600m down the road, with debris still visible in the bucket. 9NEWS
But their destructive efforts proved pointless, with the pair then fleeing the scene empty-handed.
The large earthmover was located by police around 600 metres down the road, where it had been parked to the side of a suburban street, with debris still visible in the bucket.
Investigators believe the intruders were also travelling in a white ute.
Local business owners arrived this morning to find parts of their stores damaged, with one café owner unable to open his doors for busy Sunday trading.
9NEWS
It's understood the loader was stolen from a construction site a short distance from the shopping centre, but it's unclear how or why the brazen thugs carried out their bizarre rampage.
Police are yet to make any arrests – and are encouraging anyone who saw the earthmover in the area to contact Crime Stoppers.
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