News

Thieves get thousands in unorthodox ATM withdrawal

July 13, 2003

MONTREAL -- Two robbers made off with thousands of dollars on July 11 by using a novel hold-up technique in Rivière des Prairies.

According to a Montreal Gazette report, two men entered the foyer of a Royal Bank branch at 9 a.m., just before the bank opened. The foyer holds two ATMs and is open 24 hours a day.

One of the men pushed something into the back of a customer using an ATM and told him not to move. The other man punched a hole through a panel behind the video screen above the ATM.

The hole was just big enough for the robber to poke his arm and what looked like a gun into the main bank area, where seven or eight employees were preparing for their day's work, according to the Gazette.

The robber demanded money and pocketed thousands of dollars. The bank refused to disclose the exact amount.

The two robbers set off smoke bombs to cover their exit.

No one was injured in the robbery, although several bank employees were treated for shock.

Raymond Chouinard, the Royal Bank's senior adviser on public affairs, said the bank branch has already reinforced the panels behind the ATMs' video screens in response to the robbery.