SOUNDVIEW — A dapper thief in a gray suit held up a pair of armored truck workers in The Bronx Tuesday morning, then traded gunfire with them as he made his getaway, the NYPD said.
The suspect approached a Rapid Armor Corp. vehicle outside check-cashing business “EG Money Service,” at 1471 Westchester Ave. and demanded money at gunpoint about 9:30 a.m., according to police.
One of the guards then whipped out his pistol and they exchanged shots, police said.
"I saw the security guard shoot up Westchester," said witness Mac Vasquez, 62. "He must have gotten six shots, and then I saw him turn around and shoot down Westchester."
"I saw those shots and hid behind the store," he added.
Enrique Zuniga, whose red Nissan was parked near the chaos, was nearly hit in the crossfire.
"If it were a couple of feet up, he would've been shot," said his wife, Lillian DeSann, translating for Zuniga. "He heard bullets from all sides."
The suspect fled with an unknown amount of cash. No one was wounded in the chaos, police said.
The suspect took off toward Colgate Avenue and hopped into a red Honda, the NYPD said.
Vasquez said he's witnessed many shootouts in Soundview, but this was among the most chaotic.
"I've been in the neighborhood 35 years," he said. "This is one of the worst I've seen."
