2 men armed with rifles hold up Brinks truck in Northeast Philadelphia, get away with cash, police say
Two men armed with assault rifles robbed a Brinks truck and got away with cash Tuesday morning, Philadelphia police say.
Police said officers responded to the 7200 block of Torresdale Avenue around 9:45 a.m. for a robbery in progress.
Police sources said a car pulled up in a parking lot, two armed masked suspects jumped out and robbed a Brinks truck that was making a stop at a check-cashing business.
Surveillance photos from a nearby camera show two men dressed in black, wearing masks, running out of a blue car. The person in the front appears to be pointing an assault rifle.
A police spokesperson said the suspects got away with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. A police source said the amount of money taken could be up to $1.8 million.
What started as a typical morning for Karina Torres at her Dunkin' job quickly turned to panic. The Brink truck robbery happened across the street.
"It is crazy just to see how it happened within seconds, within seconds," Torres said. "It's sad. When the cops came, that's when they said, 'We need to see the cameras.'"
Images from Chopper 3 showed Torresdale Avenue blocked off just south of Cottman Avenue. Several police vehicles were on the scene and the armored truck was in the area behind yellow caution tape.
No injuries were reported in the robbery.
Later Tuesday morning, police located an Acura that investigators believe was used in the robbery, according to police sources. The vehicle was found under I-95 in the area of Front Street and Fairmount Avenue.
A Brinks spokesperson declined to comment on the incident when contacted by CBS News Philadelphia, "in the interest of the safety of our employees and others who may be affected on matters concerning law enforcement."
Anyone with information is asked to call police or submit a tip online. Police are still searching for the suspects.
Multiple Brinks trucks were robbed in the area last year. In August, three men were arrested for holding up a driver near the Home Depot in Port Richmond.
In October, two men were indicted on charges that they robbed Brinks trucks in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, and on Castor Avenue in Northeast Philly.