Houston No. 1 in US in armored car, bank takeover robberies

In this Sept. 6, 2013 photo, a bag of money is left in a parking lot after an armored car was robbed off of Little York and the Eastex freeway in Houston. Eleven armored trucks were robbed in Houston in 2013 and another eight last year, accounting for 20 percent of all such heists in the U.S. In 2013, 120 banks were robbed around Houston, one every three days. Last year the number dipped slightly to 100, while nearly 4,000 banks, savings and loans and credit unions were held up nationwide, according to FBI statistics. ( J. Patric Schneider/Houston Chronicle via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT In this Sept. 6, 2013 photo, a bag of money is left in a parking lot after an armored car was robbed off of Little York and the Eastex freeway in Houston. Eleven armored trucks were robbed in Houston in 2013 and another eight last year, accounting for 20 percent of all such heists in the U.S. In 2013, 120 banks were robbed around Houston, one every three days. Last year the number dipped slightly to 100, while nearly 4,000 banks, savings and loans and credit unions were held up nationwide, according to FBI statistics. ( J. Patric Schneider/Houston Chronicle via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press June 13, 2015 4 min read

HOUSTON (AP) – Larry Gonzales was emerging from his Garda Cash Logistics armored truck to refill an ATM at a Houston-area Chase Bank in October 2013 when a man behind him demanded money.

“People joke around with us,” said Gonzales. “I didn’t think this dude was actually serious. Next thing, I get shot in the back. Then I knew this was for real.” The 28-year-old was shot six times and, despite multiple surgeries, still has a “lucky” bullet lodged in his chest.

Gonzales’ case is not unique. Federal statistics indicate Texas’ largest city has become a hub for bank and armored-truck hold-ups, but authorities are puzzled as to why.

“Clearly that is an issue that concerns us,” says Carlos Barron, assistant special agent in charge of the Houston FBI office who oversees the local bureau’s Violent Crimes Task Force.

Eleven armored trucks were robbed in Houston in 2013 and another eight last year, accounting for 20 percent of all such heists in the U.S. In 2013, 120 banks were robbed around Houston – one every three days. Last year the number dipped slightly to 100, while nearly 4,000 banks, savings and loans and credit unions were held up nationwide, according to FBI statistics.