Reward Offered in Fatal Armored Car Robbery

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton and City Councilman Bernard C. Parks announced a $175,000 reward Thursday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbers armed with high-powered assault rifles who ambushed an armored car behind a South Los Angeles bank last month, killing a guard.

Evelio Suarez Jr., 61, of Los Angeles suffered fatal gunshot wounds in the holdup March 1. The robbers fired more than 50 shots as he made a cash delivery behind a Bank of America branch in the 8700 block of South Western Avenue, police said.

Bratton said at least eight men and women are suspects in the robbery, which may involve street gang members.

The robbers took an undisclosed amount of money from the armored car and fled in a white panel van with a marking on its side. Detectives appealed for help in identifying the van, which was caught on tape by a camera outside a nearby supermarket.

Suarez died during surgery. He is survived by a wife, 10 children and a sister. Two other guards were unharmed.

Suarez worked for 18 years for AT Systems West, which is offering a $100,000 reward. The city, bank and FBI also are each offering $25,000 rewards.

“You have a man here who was doing a job and he was basically executed,” said Parks, the LAPD’s former chief. Parks said he will ask his council colleagues to increase the reward by another $25,000 if the crime is not solved within 30 days.

Det. Joe O’Donel of the Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery was highly coordinated, involving at least three vehicles and surveillance.

He said the ambush bore “a lot of similarities” to several other bank robberies, and was “probably gang-connected.”

When Suarez removed the bag containing the largest cash denominations from the vehicle, the gunmen opened fire, swept in and grabbed the money, police said. The robbers then dashed to a nearby stolen van, which did not start, forcing them to run to a nearby supermarket parking lot, where the marked van captured on film was waiting.

Two more accomplices were in the van, O’Donel said. It also is believed that two women were watching the bank for the robbers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact LAPD detectives at (213) 485-0780 or the FBI at (310) 477-6565.