BALA CYNWYD, Pa. (WPVI) — The attempted robbery of an armored truck in the Wynnefield Heights section of Philadelphia led to a police chase and lockdown of a Main Line community on Friday.
Police ultimately took three suspects into custody.
It all began near the Target store on Monument Road just before lunchtime.
Authorities were monitoring two men in a white Honda believed to be preparing to rob an armored truck when the situation escalated and the suspects fled into the Bala Cynwyd section of Lower Merion Township.
They eventually dumped the vehicle on Snowden Road. It was there that one suspect fled on foot and the other reportedly called for a ride.
Emily Zagar was out walking her dog when she got a text.
“He said, ‘There’s a SWAT team in your yard. Are you okay?'” she recalled.
“The cops, the K-9 dogs, the drones, the helicopters were everywhere. It was really scary,” said Zagar.
Resident describes manhunt in armored truck robbery attempt
She ran home and locked her doors, worried about her toddler and her other son locked down at school.
Community members were urged to shelter in place as a manhunt began.
One of the suspects was eventually taken into custody on Colwyn Road by Conshohocken State Road.
The other suspect was arrested at 52nd and Parrish streets in West Philadelphia.
Also arrested was the person that the suspect called to pick him up, police say.
The Action Cam was there as police towed away the Honda that was dumped in Bala Cynwyd.
Investigators say two handguns and a long gun were found inside the car.
The FBI has been investigating a string of armored truck robberies in Philadelphia and Cheltenham that occurred between June 26 and August 12 of this year.
The agency reported four successful heists and one attempted robbery during that period. Between two and three suspects were involved in each of the incidents, investigators say.
In many cases, the suspects made off with both the driver’s weapon and thousands of dollars.
Surveillance video shows one of the robberies outside the H Mart in Cheltenham on the morning of August 12. That time, the suspects made off with between $700,000 and $800,000.
The suspects arrested after a manhunt on Friday are believed to be responsible for several armored truck heists in the Philly area.
Then, outside a Dollar General in Holmesburg on July 2, a trio of masked men hit a Brinks truck and got away with about $3,000.
Police say the three men caught on Friday were also responsible for a Loomis truck robbery outside an Aldi in Summerdale on June 26 and an attempted Brinks truck robbery in Rhawnhurst on July 15.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for information related to those cases.
In a statement released Friday, the FBI said, “Earlier today, the FBI responded to an alleged attempted robbery of an armored vehicle. The subjects are in custody.”
No injuries were reported in connection with Friday’s incident.
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