Masked Men Hold Up Credit Union

Three masked men held up a credit union Monday without showing a weapon, but were showered with red dye by a device planted in their loot and escaped after abandoning the cash.

This was the second time in six months the financial institution has been robbed, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said.

At 11:30 a.m., the three men entered Edwards Federal Credit Union at 44288 10th St. West wearing latex gloves, lightweight navy-colored jackets and jeans, said Gary Auer, FBI supervisor.

Without speaking a word, two of the culprits leapt the teller’s counter and began heaving money from drawers while the third acted as a lookout.

“They were in and out of there in 30 seconds,” said Deputy Marty Shearer. “But everyone in the bank acted exactly the way they should have.” No one in the bank was injured.

Soon after they left the bank’s parking lot in a white car, the red-dye pack planted in the cash by a bank employee exploded, causing the driver of the car to swerve into another vehicle, Auer said. The driver of the second car was not injured, he said.

The bandits drove away from the accident and into a parking lot where they abandoned the car and, covered in red dye, were last seen getting into a second car driven by a fourth bandit.

According to Auer, all the stolen money was recovered in the first getaway car, along with the masks.