ST. CLOUD, Fla. – Thieves who broke into a veterans post in St. Cloud and left a trail of damage are being sought.
"They used a sledgehammer with a towel wrapped around it to bust in the front door. They spray-painted all the video cameras so you couldn't see them," Army veteran John Wood said.
Wood said he takes this to heart, that the attack on American Veterans Post 33 is affecting everyone.
"I do take this personally as a veteran because it's about the veterans," Post Commander John Wood said.
Surveillance video shows the moment three people walk inside the nonprofit, all of them wearing hoods over their heads and crawling in through the smashed front door. One guy puts the hammer on the table and checks in with his buddy. He then walks up to the camera and sprays it with black paint.
"The only thing we're here for is to assist veterans get the help they need, whether it's financial, physical," Wood said.
The thieves broke into several games, stealing cash and taking the ATM machine with them.
"For somebody to come in and do this to a veterans organization, I can only imagine what they would do to a civilian," Wood said.
Sara Daugherty manages the restaurant next door and got to the building Thursday morning to see the damage. She told News 6 the crooks didn't touch her business.
"When I got here, there was broken glass everywhere. There was damage. My heart hurts," Daugherty said. "I've been upset all day. I closed my restaurant all day. I could of opened and I said no because this is part of the family."
The crooks are still out there. Anyone with information on who they could be is urged to call the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.