An armored truck employee was shot during a robbery in Carrollton on Thursday afternoon, according to police. Four people were arrested in East Texas in connection with the crime later the same day.
The alleged perpetrators will be extradited to North Texas.
Around noon on September 8, two employees were servicing an ATM at a Bank of America near the Belt Line Road and Josey Lane intersection when a group of four people confronted and robbed them.
Officials reported that the number of rounds fired was unknown, but at least three weapons were used to fire multiple rounds. The armored van was covered with bullet holes, and the guard who was shot was injured in the arm. He is expected to recover, according to Carrollton police spokesperson Jolene DeVito.
John Ortiz, who works near the bank, heard the gunshots.
“Last thing I heard, I heard a bunch of fireworks like [the] Fourth of July.” The store manager “told me, everybody, to get inside,” Ortiz told NBC DFW.
An FBI evidence collection team assisted in the investigation. This is routine procedure for bank robberies.
“This one, they’re helping us out with all of their resources and all of their brain power as well,” DeVito explained. “So, whether this remains a Carrollton case or an FBI case, that remains to be seen.”
The group left the bank with a bag containing an undetermined amount of cash. At some point, the robbers set fire to their getaway vehicle and left the scene in a second car. Firefighters put out the fire before any further damage occurred.
Investigators discovered evidence in the first vehicle that identified the second vehicle. East Texas law enforcement in Smith County, near Tyler, was able to locate and stop the vehicle. The stolen money was in plain sight inside the vehicle, according to Carrollton police.
The four suspects were taken into custody and charged with aggravated robbery. Carrollton Police identified them as Lillie McCoy, 43, of Wiggins, Mississippi; Rayfiel Gill, 40, of Gulfport, Mississippi; Katron Pittman, 17, of Gautier, Mississippi; and Gary Taylor Jr., 17, of Purvis, Mississippi.
