Brinks Truck Heist: $1.8M Stolen

Two masked men with rifles stole $1.8 million from a Brinks armored truck in Philadelphia’s Tacony section on Tuesday morning, investigators said. (6abc.com) Police said the robbery happened around 9:45 a.m. on April 21 on the 7200 block of Torresdale Avenue, where the truck had stopped near a Budget Financial Center check-cashing business. (nbcphiladelphia.com) Investigators said the two men got out of a vehicle, approached the armored truck with assault-style rifles, took the cash, and fled in a blue Acura sport utility vehicle. No injuries were reported. (fox29.com) Philadelphia police later found what they believe was the getaway vehicle abandoned in Northern Liberties, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the case the same day. (abc7news.com) The case drew federal attention because armored-truck robberies often cross city lines quickly once suspects switch cars, dump evidence, or move cash. NBC Philadelphia reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation and city police were working the scene together by Tuesday night. (nbcphiladelphia.com) The stop itself also helps explain the target. Budget Financial Center is a check-cashing business, a kind of storefront that handles large amounts of cash for payroll checks, money orders, and bill payments, making armored pickups predictable if crews are watched in advance. (6abc.com) Local television footage showed the Brinks truck parked in a commercial stretch of Torresdale Avenue near the Torresdale bus loop, with police tape, patrol cars, and detectives surrounding the block after the robbery. (6abc.com) As of April 23, police had not announced arrests, and investigators were still asking whether nearby cameras or witnesses captured the suspects before they reached the truck or after they abandoned the Acura. (nbcphiladelphia.com)