On August 2, three men attempted to break into the parking lot of a shopping center in Belconnen near Canberra, Australia.

The three perpetrators, all dressed in black, used gasoline-powered grinders and a crowbar to access the cash registers in the parking machines, but they stopped and left the area in their red Mazda after only five minutes.

Stephen Ladd of ACT Policing Criminal Investigations says the trial was courageous but virtually pointless.

- The cash registers on these types of machines are emptied regularly, and many pay for their parking with cards, so there is rarely a large amount of cash, says Stephen Ladd.

"The perpetrators obviously planned the trial, but the police quickly responded to the call from the mall and stopped them before they could do any major damage," he added.

See the thieves' progress in the clip above.