Armed man gets away with 6´000 euros in daylight raid

The peace of the village of Algaida was shattered yesterday when a man armed with a gun held up the bank in the main square and made off with 6'000 euros. A plain clothes Guardia Civil who tried to stop him was threatened with the gun. The bank robber then made his getaway in a waiting car, which witnesses said had a woman behind the wheel. The raid took place shortly before noon at the Banco Santander Central Hispano branch in the main square. The man entered the bank waving the gun and demanding all the cash available. There were no customers in the bank at the time, just the manager and an employee. Just a few minutes earlier, a local police officer had used the cash dispenser at the entrance to the bank and an off-duty Guardia Civil was having a coffee nearby. After obtaining 6'000 euros, the bank robber ran out into the street to the waiting car. The off duty Guardia Civil officer realised what had happened and tried to intercept the delinquent who aimed the gun at him and ordered him to lie down on the ground. He then got into the car, and was driven off by the woman accomplice. Control points were immediately set up and a Guardia Civil helicopter was called out to help track the car, but the two people managed to get away. The bank manager was able to give a good description of the delinquent when he went to file charges at the local police station. The search for the couple continued throughout yesterday afternoon, and police are controlling several areas where drugs are sold, in case the delinquents are drug addicts suffering from withdrawal systems. Police sources indicated that the net is tightening and an arrest could be made within the next few hours.