HOUSTON – An armored car guard was ambushed and shot in southeast Houston and the suspects are still on the loose.
The attempted robbery happened at the Wells Fargo in the 9900 block of Almeda Genoa near Minnesota. That armored truck guard was shot twice during a shootout with the suspects. The guard was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and is now in surgery.
The bank is right next to a church, which has a day care center in the back. The day care center immediately went into lockdown after those shots rang out.
The two guards arrived at the bank at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Investigators say one of the guards was walking into the bank when he was ambushed and attacked by two men wearing ski masks and dressed in dark clothing from head to toe. At least one of the men was armed.
The guard got into a scuffle with the men and was shot twice in the abdomen area. The second guard heard what was happening and fired shots, which scared those two suspects away.
A stolen vehicle the two suspects were riding in was found less than a block from the bank.
"As I'm driving back there, I see two middle-aged younger guys wearing dark clothes, hands in their pockets. I'm not thinking anything of it at this point. I'm waving at them, nodding my head, I try to say hey to everybody that comes through here," said witness Kyle Evans, who was hauling tree limbs to the back of the church at the time.
Investigators tell Local 2 that the suspects did not get away with any cash and that they, in fact, may be looking for a third suspect -- a getaway driver.
There is no word at this time on the injured guard's condition.
The FBI is also investigating.
A source tells Local 2 the Brinks security guard who was shot Thursday was involved in another shootout with another armored truck robbery suspect in the Clear Lake area back in August.
Last year, there were 11 armored truck robberies in the greater Houston area -- the highest number ever.