This morning's paper

Couple escapes violent armed robbery attempt at Regina ATM

REGINA -- A Regina couple narrowly escaped a violent armed robbery attempt as two armed assailants peppered their truck with gunfire late Thursday night.
"They said they were going to kill us," recalled the 46-year-old male victim, who asked that his name and that of his 51-year-old wife not be used out of fear of retribution.
Shortly before midnight on Thursday, the couple was at the TD Canada Trust drive-thru ATM in the 4200 block of Albert Street. The couple was doing some banking at the machine but hadn't withdrawn any money.
"We were just about to pull away (when) two guys, masked, with a shotgun and possibly rifle tapped on the window on the passenger's side. The one guy was standing in front (of the truck), the other guy on the passenger side. (They) told us to get out of the vehicle," the man explained in an interview Friday.
"They said, 'Hand over your money and your purse.' Of course, the doors were locked, we wouldn't get out of the vehicle with the guns there."
The man pulled out his cellphone and called 9-1-1 while the suspects continued yelling outside the truck. When the suspect standing in front of the truck moved to the passenger's side, the man took the opportunity to speed away.
"They took two shots, I think they blew out my tire at that time. Then they ran away. But the way the bank is situated, you have to drive around the building to get out of there. When we came around, they opened fire on us," he explained.
Every window in the truck was shot out except the driver's side window, he said.
"I'm not even sure how many shots were fired anymore. I know two for sure and then after that on the other side, it could have been anywhere from two to eight shots. We don't even know anymore. There were a lot of shots," he said.
When they had driven a few blocks north on Albert, Regina Police Service members caught up with the couple near Parliament Avenue. The female victim was transported to hospital, where she remained Friday.
"It was bullet fragmentation that was all over her, part of her face and upper part of her body," the man said of his wife, who is expected to be released from hospital soon and make a full recovery.
Elizabeth Popowich, spokeswoman for the Regina police, said following the incident, officers set up a perimeter and a canine unit was used to search the area in an attempt to track the suspects. However, they remain at large.
The forensic identification unit will be going over the couple's truck to try and determine the type of firearms that were used and to recover any other evidence. Police are asking for the public's assistance in helping with the investigation.
"Someone may have seen or heard something that didn't seem important at the time. But if they were in that area, had perhaps just used the ATM, they may have noticed something. We would like for them to give us a call and at least have a talk with our investigators so that they can even pose a few questions that might produce some detail that may help in this investigation," said Popowich.
Kelly Hechler, a spokeswoman for TD Canada Trust, said the financial institution is working with the police to help with its investigation into the incident, including providing video surveillance from the ATM. She explained there are good security measures around every branch and ATM, but for security reasons, she couldn't go into detail.
The man didn't have reservations about using the drive-thru ATM at night, explaining that is it located on a well-lit, busy street with a 24-hour convenience store next door. However, as a precaution, he always pulled up within inches of the ATM, which stops anyone from approaching the driver's side window while he is using the machine.
He admitted to being angry about the incident, but moreso terrified about what the two suspects could do if not captured.
"The scary part is, they're still out there. These two guys are not scared to use their weapons," he said.
"We got away lucky this time. The next person may not. These guys are armed and very dangerous."
Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact Regina police at 777-6500 or 1-800-222-8477.
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