Armored Car Guard Shot in Hand, Robbed

Two robbers waylaid an armored car guard carrying cash into a home improvement store in Van Nuys Friday, shot him in the hand and fled with a bag of money, witnesses and Los Angeles police said--at least the 19th such robbery in the Los Angeles area since 1988.

A suspect, who was not identified, was later arrested, police said.

The shooting took place about 4 p.m. in an office at the rear of the Home Depot in the 16800 block of Roscoe Boulevard, a store employee said. Customers did not see the shooting but witnessed two men following the guard through the store with guns drawn, said the employee, who asked not to be identified.

“They just walked to the back and tried to take his money,” the employee said. “He didn’t want to give it to them, so they shot him.”

The men fled through an emergency exit, the employee said.

Police did not say how much money the robbers took and would not elaborate on the suspect’s arrest.

The guard, an employee of Sectran Armored Transportation, was treated at Northridge Hospital Medical Center for a minor gunshot wound and released, said Anne Lipman, hospital nursing supervisor. Police would not release the courier’s name.

The incident was the latest in a string of holdups of armored car guards which police believe are unrelated.

In January, a courier for Federal Armored Express was slain as he made a pickup at a crowded Department of Motor Vehicles office in East Los Angeles.

In December, a Brink’s armored car guard shot and killed a holdup man in a gun battle in an electronics store in Koreatown.

It could not be determined if Friday’s shooting was connected to any of the earlier holdups, police said.