Armored Truck Guard Sought in Robbery, Slaying

An armored truck guard escaped with $300,000 Tuesday after allegedly killing his partner and abandoning the vehicle in a parking lot, authorities said.

Police and the FBI were looking for Thomas Wheelock, 20, and the cash that he and Rodrigo Cortez, 30, of Pittsburg had collected on their rounds Monday night.

The truck, owned by Armored Transport of California, was last seen at 7:30 p.m. Monday in east Oakland. It was discovered at 8 a.m. Tuesday in a San Ramon parking lot.

Inside the truck was the body of Cortez, who had been shot several times in the upper body.

FBI spokesman George Grotz confirmed that about $300,000 was stolen. Also missing were two company-owned pistols, officials said. A shotgun issued to the guards was found inside the truck.

Wheelock, who had worked for the company for less than two months, was on probation for a misdemeanor that stemmed from a 1995 robbery, Grotz said.

“A significant aspect of this investigation will be to determine how a 20-year-old with a criminal background was able to obtain employment in which he was given custody and control over $300,000 and a couple of high-powered weapons,” Grotz said.

Oakland police described Wheelock as white, 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds.

According to the FBI, the only other San Francisco Bay-area armored truck robbery in the last year occurred in February, when two men hijacked the vehicle, tied up the two guards and made off with $820,000.

Suspects in that case remain at large.