Masked men steal lobby ATMs from 3 Houston Marriott hotels

HOUSTON (AP) — Police say masked men have stolen ATMs from the lobbies of three Marriot hotels in Houston this week.

Lt. Larry Crowson says a group of four or five men stormed the lobby of the Marriott near George Bush Intercontinental Airport early Thursday, grabbed an ATM and fled in a vehicle.

He says when a valet yelled at the fleeing men, one lifted his shirt to show a machete.

Early Tuesday, a group of seven to ten men took the ATM from a Marriott near the Galleria. Around midnight Tuesday, five to eight masked men raided a Courtyard by Marriott in west Houston. The machines were not bolted down.

Investigators believe the same crew was behind all of the robberies. They declined to say how much money was stolen.