Chile, a multimillion dollar airport robbery attempt ended in a gunfight that claimed the lives of the would-be robber and an airport security guard.
The failed attempt happened early on Wednesday at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago. Workers at the airport were taking $32.5 million in cash off of a plane when 10 to 12 robbers struck.
The people broke into the area and were repelled by security personnel when valuable cargo arrived on a LATAM plane from Miami that was intended to be removed by the Brinks [security] business, according to prosecutor Eduardo Baeza, who was charged with overseeing the inquiry.
In recent years, organized crime has become a problem in Chile, and the airport has previously been a target. An armed crew stole around $18 million in 2017, and $15 million from an armored truck three years later in a similar crime.
The robbery was stopped by security personnel engaging in a gunfire with the perpetrators, according to Manuel Monsalve, deputy interior minister, who was speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
According to the authorities, one of the attackers and an airport security guard were killed.
Reporters were told by Monsalve that the bandits tied up a security guard and drove three vehicles into the airport. According to the AFP news agency, the thieves entered the cargo facility through a fence in an attempt to seize the $32.5 million before it was transported locally.
The armed men reportedly fled after being confronted by security personnel, setting fire to two of their vehicles on a nearby roadway. The suspects are still being sought after.
