3 wanted for Las Vegas armored truck robberies captured
LAS VEGAS NV Sept 10 2017
Three people wanted in connection with multiple armored truck robberies in the Las Vegas Valley have been captured, according to Las Vegas Metro police.
Officers said they collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to detain the suspects. The FBI is the lead investigative agency.
Authorities were staking out a Chase bank, near Eastern Avenue and Windmill Lane since 5:30 a.m. Friday, Metro said. Just after 10 a.m. authorities took the suspects into custody.
FOX5 cameras found three men and one woman handcuffed and led into unmarked police cars. Metro originally stated four suspects were arrested before changing the number to three.
Witnesses described a normal, quiet morning when all of a sudden they heard explosions and dozens of officers coming out of nowhere. Many of the officers were undercover, driving unmarked police vehicles.
“We were just sitting having coffee and then what got our attention was the KABOOM!” described a man named Robert, who declined to give his last name. “20-30 FBI tactical SWAT guys, it looked like, all armed to the tee — throwing another flash bang!”
Another witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was simply going to KFC on his lunch break when things turned chaotic. That witness eventually ran for cover in the same building Robert was in.
“It went from no one in sight, like you didn’t even know anyone was around, to just a swarm of like 50 officers… in less than 30 seconds,” the anonymous man said. “It looked like they could have potentially gotten in a gun right now, right in front of us.”
Both witnesses said they were forced to lay low and try to keep others in the business calm, including a pregnant woman who was due in six weeks.
“She thought it was gunshots or whatever, and I said, ‘Don’t have your baby right now! Just calm down,'” Robert said. “She was crying, scared. It just scared the life out of her.”
Metro said the suspects did not rob the Chase bank. Authorities did not say how they knew the suspects would be at the bank or what they believe the suspects were planning to do. A manager at the bank said he had no idea what was going on and received all of his information about the case by watching FOX5.
An investigation is ongoing. Authorities have yet to release names or mugshots of the people arrested. If you have any information about the case, call the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department or the FBI.
FOX5
