2 Sought In Miami Lakes Armored Truck Robbery
MIAMI GARDENS (CBS4) -Miami-Dade Police and FBI agents are investigating an armored truck robbery at a Miami Lakes shopping center Thursday afternoon.
Authorities rushed to a scene at 165 Street and Northwest 67th Avenue around 3 p.m. after two men ambushed a Garda armored guard inside the Pollo Tropical restaurant located in the shopping center.
"These guys did the job pretty quick," witness Edward Dicrosta said. "They came in and they were out of here in a minute. As you can see the Palmetto (Expressway) is not even a quarter mile away. So from what I hear they just went off the Palmetto right away."
Police said the men came into the restaurant and sat down. That's when the guard came in and they ambushed him.
The FBI says after attacking the guard, the suspects stole the guard's money bag and gun before fleeing the restaurant. One shot went off inside the restaurant, but police say no one was injured.
As the robbers fled, a bystander began chasing them and firing shots from his own gun.
" I am very worried and I am very scared," an employee, who did not want to be identified, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. When asked if she was thankful no one was hurt, the employee replied, " thank God for that. Everybody's ok."
The robbers fled toward the Palmetto Expressway driving a stolen 2005 white Nissan Altima. The car was later found abandoned on the 4700 block of Northwest 167 Street.
Dicrosta said he heard the gunshots.
"My first thought was that something happened in the stores," he said. "So I wasn't really sure and I didn't want to be out here and be the victim of a stray bullet or something."
Authorities say the man ditched the bag on the expressway.
Rosa Chacon who lives nearby said they've been a number of similar incidents in the area.
"We had the robbery, they broke into the roof over here at the convenient store," Chacon said. "We had a shooting with one of our neighbors a couple of months back. It's going to be a year in June. And now we've got this. It's bad."
Police are looking for the men and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
It is unclear how much money the robbers made off with.
Slideshow: FBI releases surveillance images of the robbery suspects.
