Armored truck heist near Willis leaves suspect dead, second on run
WILLIS — A failed armored-truck heist Tuesday morning near Willis left one alleged robber dead and another on the run, marking the latest in a string of recent armored-truck robberies in the Houston area.
A lone Brinks employee was servicing an ATM at the Chase Bank near FM 1097 and Interstate 45 when the suspects approached him, police said. The employee opened fire, fatally shooting one suspect and possibly injuring another.
Willis police have not released the dead suspect’s name but said he is 27. Police also could not confirm whether the other suspect, who fled the scene, had been shot.
Willis is located about 50 miles north of downtown Houston.
The violent incident was first reported around 9:30 a.m. as a robbery with shots fired, according to Willis Police Chief James Nowak.
Paramedics were already on the scene, attempting to revive the fatally wounded suspect, when officers arrived.
The second man, Nowak said, ran from the bank across FM 1097 toward a car wash, where one local resident saw him.
“He was behind the dumpster,” said John Espericueta, who was getting gas at the nearby Kroger fueling station. “We could see him calling someone like a getaway driver. They pulled up looking for him. I
saw him run to the car and he got in and they took off.”
Espericueta said he heard at least five shots during the exchange.
“With all the shootings happening now, I was looking around for where I (should) duck,” he added.
The Texas Department of Safety searched for the man with a helicopter while other law enforcement combed the surrounding area. The suspect remained at large as of Tuesday evening.
Nowak said police have video of the incident but declined to release the footage
“until we have had a chance to review it all.”
Willis police are investigating the matter with assistance from multiple agencies, including the Montgomery County Sheriff ’s Office, Texas Rangers and Texas Department of Public Safety.
The robbery attempt marks the third such incident in greater Houston since Oct. 24, when an armored truck employee was shot and killed in a heist in the Forest Pines neighborhood. At least three other armored-truck robberies have been reported this year in the Houston area, according to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle.
In the Oct. 24 incident, a group of three men ambushed the guard and stole a bag filled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No arrests have been made.
Then, on Nov. 1, Houston police foiled an attempted armored truck robbery in southwest Houston. Police had been tailing a stolen pickup and saw the occupants “mask up,” preparing to rob an armored car at a nearby La Michoacana Meat Market. The armored truck employees, along with accompanying SWAT officers, stayed in the truck when they learned of the robbery attempt.
One of the suspects was later critically injured in a shootout with police.