Four men are in custody after they robbed an armored truck and shot at a Marine who tried to follow them, Prince George's County police said.
According to police, the men robbed a Garda armored truck at a Checkers in the 4800 block of Allentown Road in Suitland Wednesday.
"All I saw was them coming across the parking lot, swoop down on the truck," said retired police officer Denyse Bennett, who witnessed the robbery. "One went on the driver's side. Another went on the other side. Another one was in the back. Next thing, boom, they're gone."
They fled the area with money and two guns carried by the guards, police said.
An ex-Marine and his passenger in a red pickup truck followed the robbers' Jeep Cherokee and called police with a description. When they noticed they were being followed, the suspects opened fire on the Marine.
While the man was not hit by any of the bullets, authorities said, he suffered minor injuries from flying glass.
"We're certainly not asking people to chase armed robbers, but this Good Samaritan felt compelled to do so, and we certainly thank him for his efforts," Prince George's County police Lt. Bill Alexander said.
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Police chased the suspects into the District, where they crashed at 34th and M streets SE.
One of the suspects got out of their SUV with a gun and was tackled by a Prince George's County police offcer before gunfire was exchanged, police said.
The other three fled. One was arrested quickly. Two more were arrested several hours later.
Antonio Lamar Cooper, 21, of northeast Washington; 21-year-old Maurice Lorenzo Foreman of no fixed address; and 19-year-old Eugene Robert Watkins and 18-year-old Juwan Armarni Watkins of southeast D.C. are in D.C. police custody awaiting extradition to Prince George's County.
Investigators found four guns at the scene, including two that belonged to the guards.
