The man dubbed the 'Gumball Bandit' struggled to drag the machine through a broken window at the shelter in Sacramento.
At one point, the gumballs spilled out and left the man with only the machine.
Eventually the bandit brought the machine out through another exit and tossed it over a barbed wire fence.
His wild journey has gone viral.
----------
* More local news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts