Police confirm damage caused in an aggressive ATM withdrawal was behind Monday's power outage in Salmon Arm. 

At 4:04 a.m. on May 19, Salmon Arm RCMP responded to a report of a downed power pole and a break and enter at the Shell station at the 10th Street SW/Hwy. 1 intersection.

Responding officers learned a  vehicle had used a chain to pull the ATM out of the gas station, causing extensive damage.

"Police suspect the chain got caught on the power pole, which ripped the pole out," said RCMP media relations officer Andrew Hodges in a news release. 

BC Hydro reported the resulting power outage began at 3:45 a.m. and affected 200 customers.

Police located parts of the stolen ATM nearby, and later found the suspect vehicle unoccupied at Yankee Flats. Hodges said the vehicle had been stolen. 

The outage lasted several hours with hydro crews closing off a portion of 10th to vehicle and pedestrian traffic while working to restore power. 

Businesses at the Mall at Piccadilly affected by the outage were closed until the afternoon. Save-On-Foods staff were at the store early that morning, moving refrigerated items outside into a cold storage trailer and then back into the store. 

Hodges asked anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Salmon Arm RCMP, referencing file number 2025-2476.