Man Shot During Armored Car Heist

An armored car guard was shot today during a robbery outside a Riverside bank.

The heist occurred around 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the Bank of America branch at Canyon Crest Towne Center, 5225 Canyon Crest Drive, according to Riverside police Sgt. Jaybee Brennan.

A guard with the Pendum armored transport company was coming out of the bank when he was confronted by at least two suspects “who demanded money,” Brennan said.

“Shots were fired,” she said. “We don’t know yet if it was an exchange of gunfire between the guard and the suspects, or just the suspects shooting.”

She said the guard was hit at least once in the upper torso. His partner, who was at the wheel of the armored vehicle, was not hit.

It remained unclear how much, if any, money the suspects took.

The gunmen fled in a stolen dark green Chevy Astro van, which was found abandoned a short time later about a mile south, near Canyon Crest Drive and Country Club Drive, authorities said. The suspects were gone.

The victim was transported to Riverside Community Hospital, where he was in stable condition, according to Brennan.

A description of the suspects was not immediately available.