THE damage bill caused by a ram raid at Wodonga TAFE is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with police working to catch two people involved in the incident.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A white Kia light truck drove into the McKoy Street building about 4.45am.
Two offenders, who had their faces covered, tried unsuccessfully to remove an ATM but did manage to take cash from a box inside the machine.
They left in the truck, which police located in the grounds of La Trobe University nearby.
The truck had crashed into bushes and the pair fled.
Police said the vehicle had been stolen from a property in Leonard Street, Wodonga, some time between 8pm Friday and 4.30am Saturday.
Wodonga TAFE acting chief executive Phil Pateron said the impact was being assessed.
"We're looking at options to ensure there is minimal disruption to students and staff," he said.
"At this stage, we should be able to avoid any major impacts to teaching and learning.
"I think the disappointing thing is we now have to refocus our efforts on fixing up an area which was quite good.
"It means we can't prioritise other areas of activity around the TAFE."
The impact of the truck shattered the windows of the building and pushed the ATM into office areas, and sliding doors were damaged by the vehicle.
"I think it would certainly be in the hundreds of thousands," Mr Paterson said of the damage bill.
"The floor in the canteen has been quite badly damaged as well."
Security guards work at the centre and Mr Paterson said there were rarely serious issues at the site.
"We certainly haven't been targeted by any major thefts in the past," he said.
"There are very few incidents of thefts.
"We do have security on site, but trying to prevent something like this in a timely is a bit challenging when it happens at 4am in the morning."
The ram raid was captured by security cameras.
Footage has been provided to police.
Detectives are appealing for information about the offenders, who remain at large.
"Anything we can do to catch the culprits would be good, mainly to prevent it happening again," Mr Paterson said.
"We'll work around any impacts and ensure students aren't disadvantaged."
Anyone with information can call (02) 6049 2600 or 1800 333 000.