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Lone criminal robs armored car using spray bottle

An investigator collects evidence from the scene of a robbery outside Chang Hwa Bank on Zhongshan N Road in Taipei City yesterday. PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES

A man armed only with a spray bottle yesterday stole NT$920,000 (US$28,500) from an armored vehicle in broad daylight in Taipei City, police said.

The armored vehicle, belonging to security company Group 4 Securicor-Taiwan, was robbed while two security guards were transporting bags of cash from a branch of Chang Hwa Bank on Zhongshan N Road in Taipei City.

The theft took place at 8:40am in front of the bank.

The lone robber sprayed two of the security guards with an unknown irritant as they were carrying bags of cash from the bank to the armored vehicle, police said.

When two of the bank's security guards approached, they were also attacked, police said.

The irritant affected all four guards, who were unable to prevent the robber escaping on a scooter with a bag containing NT$920,000 in cash, they said.

The assailant concealed his identity by wearing a helmet.

Police described the suspect as a short, thin, middle-aged man.

The four security guards were in good condition yesterday after undergoing medical treatment.

Yesterday's robbery was the 12th attack in nine years on an armored car belonging to Group 4 Securicor-Taiwan.

A security guard of the company was shot to death and another was injured during an armored car robbery in Taipei last April.

In January last year, one of the company's security guards apparently drugged his partner and made off with NT$56 million that had been meant to be delivered to a bank.

He later fled to China via Hong Kong.

The suspect was arrested by Chinese authorities and sent back to Taiwan later that same month.
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