Video: 2 men walk out of 7-11 with gaming machine as customer looks on

FAIRFAX, Va. (WJLA) — Authorities in Virginia announced Wednesday that they've made two arrests after a recent string of convenience store gaming machine thefts. That update comes after multiple 7-Eleven stores were hit, with a total of seven cases in the past month.

Police said the most recent gaming machine theft happened Tuesday shortly before 9 p.m.

WJLA spoke with theFairfax County Police Department when they released surveillance video of the suspects in six recent gaming machine thefts and asked for the public's help in identifying them. Police said the recent thefts took place while the stores were open, many of them in the middle of the day.

You know, we have individuals that are committing crimes in broad daylight. If they're brazen enough to do something like that, we need to assume this larceny could turn into a violent incident, and that's why we want the community to be aware," said Second Lt. James Curry.

Surveillance cameras show the thieves almost casually carrying the gaming machine out of the store, with what appears to be a customer behind them, watching helplessly as it happens.

In that case, police said the thieves took the gaming machine off-site and then discarded it after removing the money from inside.

In other instances, investigators said thieves discreetly broke into the convenience store gaming machines and stole cash from them while still inside the store.

The gaming machines being targeted by thieves are "skill games" that look similar to slot machines. People pay for each game played and typically put cash directly into the machines.