Last weekend some thieves stole a Chevy Tahoe and then used it as a battering ram to pull off a smash and grab at a Rent-A-Center store in East St. Louis. They got away with four 32-inch, LCD, flat screen television sets, valued at $1200 each. But the smash and grabbers didn't use their stolen suv to haul away the televisions. It got stuck, straddling a row of bricks and had to be left behind, but not before the thieves spun the tires so much that they wore a hole through the carpet. The crooks may have walked away, carrying the televisions or could have had a second vehicle waiting. But these bold bandits were determined not to give up on their shot at high definition television viewing on a big, flat screen tv. Or, possibly they just stole the televisions to sell them for money to buy drugs. Nevertheless, big flat screen televisions have caught the eye of both customers and crooks, alike.

Thieves used a battering ram that weighed tons, to smash their way into a metro-east store and steal expensive flat screen televisions. Last weekend, at least two thieves, were involved in a smash and grab at the Rent-A-Center in East St. Louis. They used a stolen Chevy Tahoe to ram through the front of the store early Saturday morning. The thieves had to leave their getaway vehicle behind because the suv got stuck on a row of bricks. But the bold bandits took four 32-inch televisions, worth $1200 each. Police say surveillance video captured a clear view of one of the thieves. As soon as police release it, we'll post it on kmov.com.