Shots were fired during the attempted robbery of a Brinks armored truck Tuesday in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said.
The incident was at least the fourth armored car robbery or attempt over the last 30 days, according to information provided by police. Most of the robberies took place in the Northeast.
A pair of armed men approached a Brinks guard as he was making a delivery at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on the 8200 block of Castor Avenue, investigators said. The driver shot at the suspects, police said, and CBS3 reported that the gunmen also opened fire.
No one was injured, according to the PPD. Investigators recovered eight spent shell casings at the scene.
On Tuesday evening, police put out images of the suspects and their car, which was last seen heading northbound on Castor. The vehicle is a newer model black Nissan, possibly a Maxima or Altima, with a Pennsylvania tag, black rims and heavily-tinted windows, according to detectives.
In the surveillance photographs, one of the suspects appears to be wielding a rifle of some kind, while the other man grips a handgun.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the Northeast Detective Division at 215-686-3153 or call or text the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Two weeks ago, on July 2, a Brinks security officer was robbed after completing a cash pickup at Holmesburg Shopping Center, located at 8445 Frankford Ave., authorities said. In that case, there were three suspects, one of whom pointed an “AR-style rifle” at the driver, police wrote in a recap of the incident.
Investigators said the gunmen took the officer’s money bag and his company-issued firearm. They tried to get him to open the truck but were unable to get access due to the vehicle’s locking system, according to the PPD.
Several days earlier, on June 26, two armed men robbed a Loomis armored truck driver of about $1,000 as he was delivering to the Aldi store at Whitaker Avenue and Foulkrod Street in the Crescentville section of the Northeast, police said.
Two gunmen also reportedly held up a Brinks guard who was making a stop June 21 on the 2500 block of Castor Avenue in Port Richmond.
It is unclear if any or all of the incidents are connected. PPD officials did not respond to a request for comment on the issue Wednesday.
A Brinks spokesperson declined to discuss the string of robberies – three of which targeted their employees – and directed questions to law enforcement.
More broadly, gunpoint robberies are down nearly 16% in 2025 across Philadelphia, compared to the same date last year, according to police data.
