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Bank robbery one block from my house yesterday...

DaytimeDilemmaDaytimeDilemma Posts: 2,008
edited December 2007 in All Encompassing Trip
Sounds like a freaking movie. I was at work and not at home. Would have been some crazy shit though...

From today's newspaper:

Three men in ski masks with assault rifles at their sides pulled off a highly choreographed armored-truck heist late Thursday morning and exchanged gunfire with a security guard outside a bank in the bustling Riverbend neighborhood.

The holdup was strictly a professional affair, authorities said. The robbery crew, dressed in dark clothing, carried guns fit for warfare. They had arranged for one car to block traffic while another vehicle arrived at the bank. The getaway car was blocks away. By Thursday night, they were still being sought, police said.

New Orleans police converged outside the Capital One Bank at 1100 S. Carrollton Ave. about 11:30 a.m., hustling witnesses together and questioning bystanders. Blocks were cordoned off and traffic was shut down. Three schools and several businesses went into lockdown mode, and others were put on high alert. No injuries were reported.

The brazen armed robbery, according to police and witnesses, went like this: Shortly before 11:30 a.m., a black Dodge Intrepid squealed to a halt -- diagonally across the road -- outside Mona's Cafe at 1120 S. Carrollton Ave. Car horns began blaring. Drivers started swearing.

A man dressed in black with a ski mask covering his face got out of the car and walked down the block.

A white Dodge Caravan, which had been parked nearby, then pulled up outside the bank.

Three men got out. They wore ski masks and carried AK-47 assault rifles.

Across the tree-lined street, children at St. Andrew's Episcopal School reveled at recess, playing a game of Octopus, when the commotion erupted. A teacher ushered the students into the chapel and led them in prayer.

"We prayed that the policemen didn't get hurt and that the robbers learned from their mistakes," third-grader Sarah Whitty said.

Boxes of money

On the Zimpel Street side of the building, an armored truck idled. An armored-truck guard pushed a cart stacked with encyclopedia-sized boxes of coins and money toward the truck. The other guard held the door open.

The gunmen confronted the guards.

Bennett Luke, a bank customer, said he was inside leaning against a wall, chatting on his cell phone. The room suddenly went quiet.

"Everyone just had this look in their eyes -- their eyes were bulging," said Luke, 31.

The guards ran into the bank with their guns drawn, he said. One guard fired outside at the masked men.

The gunmen fired several rounds. Across Zimpel Street, a young man in his pajamas heard the shots. His cat was clawing at the window.

"Dut-dut-dut-dut .¤.¤. It sounded like firecrackers going off," said the man, who asked not to be identified.

"I came out of my house and this guy had a straight-up AK-47," he said. "It even had a banana clip on it. This was a professional job. No doubt about it."

The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money, authorities said. They never entered the bank, according to sources.

Well-planned heist

The gunmen fled in the white Dodge Caravan, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which investigates bank robberies.

"These guys definitely did their homework," a law enforcement source said. "They knew what they were doing."

The robbers drove about five blocks into a parking lot near the intersection of Dante and Maple streets, behind a barbershop and a restaurant.

The gunmen got out of the van, leaving the doors open. They jumped into a white Dodge Magnum, according to a witness. An accomplice waited inside, authorities said.

The group fled north on Leake Avenue toward Jefferson Parish.

The abandoned Dodge Caravan and Dodge Intrepid were later towed by authorities. Both cars had been reported stolen in Jefferson Parish.

Schools locked down

The shootout prompted three schools to lock down their campuses: Audubon Charter School at 719 S. Carrollton Ave., the University Montessori School at 7508 Burthe St. and St. Joan of Arc at 919 Cambronne St.

Dozens of police cars sped to the bank within minutes of the robbery. The neighborhood was essentially cordoned off and sealed. The commander of the 2nd District briefed the SWAT team, and officials shared information and studied maps of the neighborhood.

The unit, wearing full tactical gear and carrying assault rifles, combed the neighborhood with at least one canine. Their search was fruitless.

Crime scene technicians worked into the evening. The glass in the bank's side entrance door was shattered. The money cart was left standing, boxes of coins still stacked on it. A black duffel bag lay in the street.

More than 30 small plastic cones marked the sites of bullet casings near the side entrance.

The robbers were still being sought Thursday evening. Intertrust Armored Services Inc., the company struck by the robbers, did not return a call for comment.

The FBI and the NOPD are investigating the heist.

The Metropolitan Orleans Bank Security Association is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those involved. Authorities ask that anyone with information call the FBI at (504)¤816-3000.
Post edited by Unknown User on

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