ARMED RAIDERS escaped with a substantial amount of cash after opening fire on security men delivering money to an ATM.
The robbery took place in Bayside, north Dublin, and is almost identical to a robbery that took place in Clontarf a fortnight ago in which cash was taken after a shot was fired.
Yesterday's robbery occurred at a Eurospar shop at Bayside shopping centre, Bayside Square, at about 2pm.
A two-man crew of a Group 4 Security (G4S) cash-in-transit van was delivering money to an ATM on the wall outside the Eurospar shop when the raiders struck.
One man wearing a motorcycle helmet and armed with a sawn-off shotgun approached a G4S employee as he walked from his van towards the shop carrying a bag with money for the ATM.
The raider demanded the van be opened and that the money be handed over. When the security man refused, a struggle ensued.
The armed raider fired a shot from his sawn-off shotgun and grabbed the bag containing the money. The raider then jumped on to the back of a waiting motorbike and was driven from the scene by an accomplice.
Garda sources said while the G4S men were not injured, they were left traumatised.
Gina Foley said she was working in the Eurospar when the raid took place and was alerted by her manager as to what was going on.
"The manager ran in and told us to press the panic button," she told The Irish Times.
"I could see a struggle going on outside and then next of all we heard a gun going off. Then the guy grabbed the bag and within five seconds he was gone on the back of a motorbike.
"We didn't know what was happening. We didn't know if they were going to come into the shop after us because you have to come in here to fill up the ATM machine."
Ms Foley said one of the two- man crew was in the back of the van for the duration of the raid. When he realised what was happening he jumped out and pulled his colleague inside the vehicle, by which time the gunman had escaped.
Gardaí believe some €100,000 was taken. Investigating detectives are studying similarities between yesterday's raid and a robbery nearby on July 3rd.
On that occasion the crew of a cash-in-transit van was robbed of about €170,000 when they were held up while delivering money to an ATM on Clontarf Road, about a mile from yesterday's robbery.
One shot was fired from a sawn- off shotgun before the armed raider took a bag of money and escaped the scene with an accomplice in a car.
Anybody with information on yesterday's raid is asked to contact gardaí in Raheny on (01) 666 4300 or the Garda confidential telephone line on 1800 666 111.
