Another coin truck robbed

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000 | 11:04 a.m.

A rash of coin truck robberies is not the work of just one group of robbers, but several groups pulling off the heists like the coin truck holdup Monday night outside a neighborhood bar, Metro Police said today.

Two armed men forced a United Coin truck driver back into his van outside of the Triple Play on Decatur Boulevard about 9:30 p.m. The robbers drove the van along with the United Coin driver to a nearby apartment complex on O'Bannon Drive, according to a police report.

The two robbers took an undisclosed amount of cash and left the driver unharmed. They left the area in a waiting car, according to a police report.

In the past few months there have been at least a dozen or more similar coin truck robberies.

"It's not just the same three guys doing all of these," said Metro robbery Lt. John Alamshaw. "We think that a group of people have all talked to each other and figured out how to do these robberies. We don't think that it's all the same people."

About six weeks ago five people were arrested in connection with a couple of the coin truck robberies. Three of the men are suspected in five other robberies and one attempted robbery, Alamshaw said.

While there have been arrests in some of the coin truck robberies, the holdups continue, leading police to believe more than one group is involved.

"We have made some progress in these cases," Alamshaw said.

He would not comment on why there has been the rash of coin truck holdups or what is being done to prevent more robberies.

On Nov. 12., three men were charged in connection with a coin truck robbery earlier that day. Two of the men have gang affiliations, police said.

Last month, there were at least six coin truck robberies including one down the street from the location of Monday's holdup -- the Dec. 1 robbery of a United Coin truck driver outside of the Big Game Club about 10 p.m. near Charleston and Decatur boulevards.

That robbery was done in the same manner as Monday night's holdup.

United Coin officials could not be reached for comment this morning.

In all of the holdups, the drivers have not been injured.

"At least we've been fortunate in that respect," Alamshaw said.