Two guards injured in bank robbery blast

EDMONTON Two armoured vehicle guards injured when an explosive device detonated at an Edmonton bank as part of an armed robbery marks a disturbing departure from typical tactics used by criminals, the union representing the guards has warned.

The GardaWorld Security Services guards suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries early Thursday morning in the city’s northeast as they opened the front door and entered the lobby of the Scotiabank at 160 Avenue and 81 Street.

The suspect, who was wearing a disguise at the time of the robbery, entered the building and robbed the stunned and injured guards of an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing on foot.

Police have yet to locate the suspect.

Paramedics transported the pair to hospital. The man was in a serious, but stable condition, and the woman was listed as being in a stable condition.

Northeast division Staff Sgt. Paul Czerwonka said the two guards suffered head injuries.

It is the second time in less than three months explosives have been used in an armed robbery of a bank in Edmonton.

In September emergency crews responded to a call from security guards at a RBC Royal Bank near 27 Avenue SW and 141 Street SW, after a bomb was detonated inside the bank lobby.

Police said at the time the guards had just arrived at the bank in the Chappelle Gardens neighbourhood for work when a loud bang rang out.

The guards were taken to hospital for precautionary reasons and no money was stolen.

Edmonton Police Service spokesman Scott Pattison said it was too early to tell if the two robberies were linked but said investigators were exploring all possibilities.

A forensic unit was on scene for most of Thursday collecting evidence.

Teamster Canada president Francois Laporte said the use of the explosive devices deviated from the normal armoured car robbery tactics that usually involve knives and guns.

The two guards were members of the Teamsters Local Union 362.

“Two armoured car guards were ambushed in a gutless, cowardly robbery. We pray they make a swift recovery,” Laporte said in a statement.

Officers were first called to the bank in the Mayliewan neighbourhood at around 2:10 a.m. after the guards themselves reported the explosion and the robbery to police.

‘PRETTY FRIGHTENING’

Kevin Uchman, who lives right across the road from the bank, said he heard what he described as a noise like a dumpster being dropped from a garbage truck onto the ground.

He didn’t think anything of it until his wife noticed police cars screaming toward the bank about 20 minutes later.

It was then they realized that it was an explosion at the Scotiabank. He said he knows people who work at the bank and that it was not the first time the bank had been targeted by thieves.

“We usually get that noise from behind the strip mall because the garbage trucks are always coming and going and dropping bins. We just shrugged it off,” said Uchman.

“When we heard the bang we actually thought it was inside our house it was that loud.”

“Then when we woke up and watched the noise we realized that it was right in our backyard. It’s pretty frightening. My first thought was what is the world coming to.

“When something like this happens in your own backyard it’s pretty unnerving.”

GardaWorld said it was providing support to its employees, their families and colleagues at the branch.

“Our employees are now safe and in good hands,” GardaWorld said in a statement.

“GardaWorld’s corporate security team is working closely with local authorities in their investigation.”

It’s not the first time guards have been targeted.

In July 2016, two armoured truck guards were ambushed outside a southeast Edmonton bank.

Police said two men approached guards, pepper sprayed them and demanded cash before one of the guards opened fire, killing one man while the other ran.

In 2012, armed guard Travis Baumgartner shot and killed three of his co-workers and wounded a fourth while the crew was reloading ATM machines on the University of Alberta campus.

Baumgartner was arrested the next day at a U.S. border crossing after having fled the scene with thousands of dollars in cash.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years.