GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — The FBI and Greenwood Village Police are asking for help finding three suspects caught on video robbing an armored vehicle that was parked outside of a bank.
The Brinks vehicle was parked outside the Bank of Colorado at 5201 South Yosemite St. around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the FBI.
Police said the suspects were armed with two semi-automatic handguns and one AK47 variant.
After robbing the vehicle, they fled in a 2013 to 2016 grey Nissan Pathfinder with stolen Colorado license plate CVD 251, the release said.
The suspects are described as 5'10 to 6' in height. Police said two were average build and one was heavyset. At the time of the robbery, police said they were all wearing black or blue hoodies, masks and sunglasses.
"They were moving fast. They were well-rehearsed," Bob Pence said.
Pence is the former FBI Agent-in-Charge of the Rocky Mountains. He looked at the surveillance video of the entire crime.
"First of all, it's an armored car robbery, very rare, very dangerous," Pence said.
According to the FBI's report on Bank Crime Statistics, in 2018 there were more than 3,000 bank-type robberies with only 10 being armored cars.
"It's not only that the armored cars are guarded by armed personnel, but the car itself is almost like trying to crack a safe out in the middle of the street," Pence said.
In this case, the safe was already opened as the suspects approached the armored car after the guard had unlocked the back doors. One suspect held the lone guard at gunpoint while the other two went inside the armored car for no more than 15 seconds before coming out with several bags.
"The speed that they went in and out would indicate possibly one of two things," Pence said. "One, they were very familiar with the layout inside the car or two they were only after what was just put in there by the guard."
The whole robbery took about 37 seconds before the suspects were driving away.
"Well, as you look at the video, it's very clear this ran smoothly," Pence said.
But, it did take place in front of two surveillance cameras in front of the bank.
"Now, the video has become very cheap and very valuable," Pence said.
Without getting into specifics that he saw with his trained eye, Pence says there are plenty of leads from the video that investigators can follow to the culprits.
"I think all of that would indicate to me, this should be a very solvable crime," Pence said.
If anyone has any information on the bank robbery or has seen anyone matching the suspects' descriptions, they are asked to call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171. Tipsters can also call Crimestoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867) to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward up to $2,000.
According to the FBI, armored vehicle robbery is punishable up to a 20-year prison sentence. That sentence increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the crime.
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