Fatal Armed Robbery Suspect Sought

Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin, FBI Atlanta, in conjunction with Dekalb County Police Chief W. O'Brien, requests the public's assistance in identifying and locating the individuals responsible for today's (March 15) armed robbery of a Garda Armored Car courier, which occurred in front of the Kroger Grocery Store, located in the Toco Hills Shopping Center, 2205 La Vista Road, Atlanta (Dekalb County), Georgia:

On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at approximately 12:03 p.m., a gunman open fired on a Garda Armored Car courier while walking back to his truck, having serviced the Kroger Grocery Store, located at 2205 La Vista Road, Atlanta (Dekalb County), Georgia. The gunman approached the courier suddenly and shot him three times. The gunman, having obtained an undisclosed amount of money, then departed the scene in a vehicle being driven by another individual. That vehicle was recovered a short distance away from the scene and it was determined that the vehicle had been carjacked the day before in Snellville, Georgia. The critically wounded courier was transported to Grady Hospital where he later died. The gunman is described as being a black male, late 20's to early 30's in age, 5'11 in height, with a medium complexion.

Garda is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for today's robbery and for the recovery of the stolen funds. Garda representatives stated "We are deeply saddened by the death of our colleague in today's incident and extend our condolences to his family. We are cooperating with law enforcement in investigating the incident and therefore cannot provide any additional details."

It is believed that today's violent armed robbery is connected to the following Atlanta area armored car robberies:

On Friday, January 21, 2011, at approximately 9:00 a.m., two couriers for the Loomis Armor Car were servicing an ATM located at a Wells Fargo bank, 4798 Redan Road, Stone Mountain, Georgia. One of the two couriers, while outside of their vehicle and servicing the machine, was suddenly approached and, without warning, fired on multiple times by an armed assailant.

The assailant was able to take the courier's bag containing an undisclosed amount of money. Witnesses observed the gunman jump into a late 1980s or early 1990s Jeep Cherokee, white in color, and depart the area. The gunman is described as being a black male, 20s to late 30s in age, 5'8" - 5'11" in height, medium build, medium complexion, slight facial hair, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brandishing a black semi-automatic .40 caliber handgun. The driver of the getaway vehicle is described as being a black male, 20s to 30s in age wearing a light colored jacket with a fur collar.

The wounded courier was transported to a local area hospital, where he underwent surgery as a result of the multiple gunshot wounds. Wells Fargo has announced a reward in this matter of up to $10,000.

The above robbery is believed to be connected to a string of five previous armored car courier robberies within the Metro Atlanta area as listed below:

On Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at approximately 11:15 a.m., two couriers for Dunbar Armored Car were inside the Mall of Georgia, Gwinnett County, servicing an ATM. One of the couriers was approached suddenly from behind and forced to the ground by an armed assailant. The second courier, observing this, fired on the assailant as he was departing the mall through a side door.

On Monday, November 29, 2010, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a courier for a Loomis Armored Car was robbed at gunpoint while servicing an ATM at the Wells Fargo Bank, located at 3520 Centerville Highway, Snellville, Georgia.

The courier was approached from behind by a single robber who placed a semi-automatic handgun to the courier's head. The robber departed the area with an undisclosed amount of money and was seen getting into the back seat of a light blue or silver vehicle, described as being possibly a Buick, Oldsmobile, or Jaguar.

On November 11, 2010, a robbery of a Dunbar Armored courier occurred at the Bank of America, located at 1500 Buford Highway, Buford, Georgia. In that robbery, the courier was robbed while servicing an ATM at that location. The courier was approached from behind by two black male suspects brandishing handguns. One of the robbers was described as having a gold upper tooth. The robbers were seen departing that robbery in a blue Chevrolet Tahoe, which was recovered shortly after the robbery and was determined to have been reported stolen in Atlanta.

On October 7, 2010, a 1:00 p.m. robbery of a Dunbar Armored courier occurred inside of a Mex-America Latino store, located at 641 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, Georgia. In that robbery, two black males, one with long black dreadlocks, waited inside of the above store for the courier to arrive. Upon arrival, the two robbers confronted the courier with handguns

On September 14, 2010, a robbery of a Garda Armored courier occurred at the Bank of America, located at 1775 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia. Two black males approached the courier while he was servicing an ATM at that location. Both robbers were brandishing semi-automatic handguns. During that robbery, the courier was forced to the ground and his sidearm was taken by the robbers.

Anyone with information regarding this matter should contact the Atlanta FBI at (404) 679-9000.

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