One man was injured and two others fled after authorities allegedly foiled an armored truck robbery in Hyattsville, Maryland.
The armored truck came to fill an ATM when apparently three subjects tried to take the money that came in the van. However, police said that undercover officers came with the battleship as a security measure.
At least one of those officers opened fire, injuring one of the suspects.
“We heard the shots in front. I personally only saw the boy who was shooting. I didn’t see the person he was shooting at. Later we were able to go outside and that was when I saw the person on the ground with a shot in the leg,” said Brenda Cruz, a worker at the site.
Cruz and his companions lived closely the shooting that occurred around 9 am when they were just beginning their day in a nearby business.
“I couldn’t tell you (how many shots I heard). Maybe more than five,” she added.
Unfortunately, they said that robberies are almost part of working life in the area.
“We are used to it,” said Irma Solorzano, a worker there. “There have been even 7-year-olds, 10-year-olds that we have seen them steal.”
In a video recorded by witnesses and obtained by Telemundo 44, a man who was injured in the shooting is seen on the ground.
“One of the suspects was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds and is in critical but stable condition,” a Prince George’s County Police spokesman said.
The police added that they are three dangerous subjects and that at least one of them was carrying a long weapon. Supposedly undercover officers were forced to open fire.
“In this case we are actively looking for two men and two vehicles: a black four-door Lexus with temporary Maryland license plates and a black Honda,” the spokesperson continued.
The authorities did not specify if the two subjects who fled took any money. What he did highlight is that the incident is part of a series of robberies against armored trucks that he said they are investigating.
“We are talking about several robberies of this type in a short period of time,” the police spokesman said. “In fact, another one was registered this morning in another jurisdiction.”
That other robbery reportedly occurred at ATMs in Greenbelt, Maryland, almost simultaneously with the attempted robbery that took place Monday in Hyattsville. Police did not provide further details about that incident.
On Monday morning, the bank workers experienced moments of anguish. They said that as soon as the shots were heard, the branch security officer locked the doors as a precaution.
The headquarters was closed Monday while police searched for the two suspects who remain at large.
