ESCONDIDOESCONDIDO — Three masked gunmen pulled off a brazen takeover-style heist Thursday morning at an Escondido credit union, stuffing cash from the vault into an empty trash can before fleeing in a stolen SUV, authorities said.
Shortly before 10 a.m., a driver backed the group's getaway vehicle toward the front doors of the San Diego County Credit Union branch on Centre City Parkway near West Felicita Avenue, and three masked, hooded and gloved men jumped out and rushed into the building, according to Escondido police Sgt. Shannon Martin and FBI spokeswoman Special Agent Davene Butler.
No customers were in the credit union at the time, but the gunmen ordered six or seven employees to get on the floor, Martin and Butler said.
"While pointing the handgun at one of the employees, a robber demanded access to the credit union’s vault," Butler said in a statement. "A second robber threatened another employee with his weapon to assist with accessing the vault."
Once inside, the men emptied a trash can and loaded it with cash from the vault, Butler said. Authorities did not disclose how much money the bandits made off with.
The trio then ran together into the waiting SUV, described as a 1980s Chevrolet Suburban that was reported stolen earlier this week, Butler said. They fled south on Centre City Parkway and were last seen entering southbound Interstate 15.
Martin said the suspects had their faces covered and were dressed in dark-colored pants and sweat shirts. "They were dressed head to toe," he said. "You couldn't tell race or gender."
Butler said all three were men.
No credit union employees were physically injured, Martin said.
The FBI was leading the investigation and urged anyone with information about the robbery to call the FBI's San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800, or San Diego County Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can also submit information online at https://tips.fbi.gov/ or www.sdcrimestoppers.org.
