Guard opens fire during armored car robbery attempt

SEATTLE - A guard opened fire during an attempted robbery of an armored truck Sunday morning, critically wounding the suspect as stunned witnesses looked on.

Now Seattle police are questioning both men to see if the shooting was self-defense or something else.

A dozen patrol cars raced to the scene after the shooting at 52nd Street and Rainier Avenue, near the McDonald's restaurant.

According to police and witnesses, the incident began when a heavy-set man approached the armored truck guard outside a local business at about 10:30 a.m.

There was a confrontation between the man and the guard, and at some point the man tried to grab a money bag from the guard, said Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt.

The guard told police that he was afraid for his life and fired at the suspect, Witt said.

The man was shot at least three times in the chest, arm and shoulder, Witt said. One bullet ripped open an artery in the man's arm, and he lost a lot of blood as he lay on the ground.

It was not clear if the suspect was armed, Witt said, and witnesses who saw the incident said it wasn't clear if the suspect actually posed a serious threat to the guard.

Eyewitnesses said there was an argument and confrontation between the two, then the guard pulled out his gun and pointed it at the suspect.

The argument continued for a while, but the suspect did not back off. At that point the guard opened fire, witnesses said.

"I think he might have paused for a little bit, and I think he may have told him, 'Stop or I'll shoot' or something - I thought there was a fight at first," said one eyewitness.

Witnesses said they heard four shots fired, and then the heavy-set man stumbled and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Medics quickly arrived at the scene and whisked the suspect to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of life-threatening injuries. He is listed in critical condition.

Now police are investigating the suspect and the guard. Right now investigators say they think the guard was defending himself.

"Until any additional information comes out - we have to treat that like a self-defense type situation," says Witt.

Investigators say the guard is in his 20s and has worked for the armored truck company for three years.

The armored truck company refused to release any information about their policies on guns.

The identities of the guard and the suspect were not released.