Local News in Brief : Armored Car Guard Robbed of $19,000
A gunman dressed in black disarmed an armored car guard and robbed him of at least $19,000 Tuesday afternoon after the guard made a cash pickup in the crowded Broadway Plaza shopping mall in downtown Los Angeles, police said.
The robber stepped into the same elevator as the Armored Federal Express guard just as the guard was leaving the third floor about 2:45 p.m. to return to his truck, said Lt. Fred Nixon, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.
The holdup took place between floors.
At ground level, the robber forced the guard at gunpoint to remain in the elevator, then allowed the doors to close and disappeared through the throng of Christmas shoppers before the doors reopened.
With him went the guard’s .38-caliber handgun as well as a bag of cash and checks.
The robber was described as a 6-foot-3 black man weighing about 230 pounds. He wore black trousers and a black turtleneck sweater.
Police said they believe that one gang is responsible for at least 10 armored car holdups and three bank robberies in the Los Angeles area since last December.
“We don’t know, at this point, if it’s connected to the series,” police Lt. Fred Nixon said of Tuesday’s heist.
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