Armed robbers, wearing masks from the movie Scream, have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in a brazen armored truck heist in Northeast Philadelphia.
The robbery went down at Frankford Avenue and Rhawn Street in the Holmesburg section of the city around 10 a.m. on Thursday, police say.
The Garda armored truck was in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo Bank branch when two armed robbers, dressed in all black and wearing the Scream masks, descended on the vehicle.
Witnesses tell NBC10 Philadelphia they saw the robbers carrying assault rifles as they attacked the armored truck driver, who was holding bags of cash.
FBI spokeswoman Carrie Adamowski says the men were able to steal $310,000. Agents also say they have not determined whether the men were using assault rifles or shotguns.
One witness said he heard the driver tell police the robbers 'blindsided him' and even roughed him up a bit as they grabbed the cash.
"I went over and asked the guy if he was OK," witness Gabriel Montalvo said. "He just said 'I'm fine.' I said, 'You're shaking. You sure you're OK?' He said 'I'm fine, this isn't the first time I've been robbed.'"
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The criminals fled in a green Plymouth Voyager minivan, which the FBI says was driven by the third suspect.
"They had a van waiting for them. They jumped in the minivan and they were gone," witness Maran Harner said. Police say that minivan was reported stolen from Upper Darby, Pa. in August.
They later ditched that minivan several blocks away along the 3400 block of Arthur Street.
Officials say the robbers then got into another vehicle, a gold Pontiac Bonneville, and eventually ditched that car in a wooded residential area several blocks away.
Police and the FBI are at each scene and investigating.
Agents have collected surveillance video from from a nearby doctor's office and the bank.
Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.
