Wednesday, 2 July
Shots fired during armed heist on Berlin cash van, suspects still at large
It was shortly before 8 a.m. yesterday morning when masked assailants targeted a cash delivery van outside a bank branch on Giesebrechtstraße, just off Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm. Armed with live firearms and pepper spray, the suspects threatened the guards as they were loading and unloading money cassettes. At least one of the attackers fired shots, damaging the entrance to the bank and injuring a cash courier with pepper spray.
The heist might have played out differently if not for a stroke of unlucky timing. A plainclothes police patrol happened to drive by and witnessed the robbery. Officers intervened and shots were exchanged. The suspects fled in a black SUV.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the suspects fired additional rounds during their escape, one of which hit a police vehicle. Police pursued them as far as Brandenburgische Straße, where the chase was called off for safety reasons. The SUV was later seen ramming a construction vehicle on Blissestraße.
The perpetrators (number and identity still unknown) managed to disappear, though investigators believe they made off with only a fraction of the potential takings. Police say a dedicated tip-off portal has been set up where witnesses can upload photos or videos from the scene.
Roughly 220 officers were deployed in the immediate aftermath. The amount of cash stolen remains unclear.
Just last December, another heist in Charlottenburg saw masked gunmen fire at a van in broad daylight. In 2021, five men disguised as garbage collectors stole €650,000 on Ku’damm. Only one was ever caught.
For now, Berlin police are asking anyone who saw or recorded anything in Charlottenburg on Tuesday morning to come forward. The suspects are still at large.
