FBI, police investigating attempted armored truck robbery in Blue Island
A south suburban bank is at the center of an attempted armed robbery investigation involving an armored truck in Blue Island on Wednesday morning.
The incident happened just as many of the neighboring businesses were opening their doors for the day.
A gun used by the would-be robbers was left on the sidewalk. Part of the street was closed off for hours.
Chicago police and the FBI, along with Blue Island police, have been documenting evidence, including the gun. They said multiple people were responsible for the scene on Wednesday morning.
"As I was about to open my blinds for business for the day, I hear this loud blrrrrrrrrr," a neighbor said.
The neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, described the violent beginning of her workday.
"Very unnerving, very, very terrifying because I wasn't sure. Bullets have no names, so we don't know you know it's scary because we don't know if they were shooting or where it was going to go, so it's very scary," she said.
She said at first, she thought the sound was construction, but it wasn't.
"Ask my coworker, too, 'what is Blue Island working on now?' I thought they were doing some work when I looked back at him. He was on the ground. He said those are gunshots."
Police said this was an attempted armed robbery of an armoured truck that happened at around 9:45 a.m. They did not confirm any further details as the FBI took the lead on this investigation.
Witnesses said that some saw the driver of the armoured truck leave the US Bank when he was approached by at least two robbers. They said the driver of the armoured truck shot one of the robbers in self-defense, causing one of them to collapse to the ground. The suspects then fled.
"So for the rest of the day I'm trying to stay busy, but I'm still focusing on is it over?" the neighbor said.
Police did not say how many people they were looking for or if any arrests were made. Further information, including whether any injuries were reported or if any money was taken, was also not released.
