On February 9, a heavily armed gang attempted a daring daylight robbery that resulted in a gunfight with police at a major Italian highway.
On State Road 613, the primary route linking Brindisi and Lecce in the Puglia area of southern Italy, the daring attack took place just before eight in the morning.
The Battistolli Group’s armored cash transfer vehicle was ambushed by six to 10 masked thieves, some of whom were dressed as police officers and drove cars with flashing blue lights, Metro reports.
Witnesses said the attackers positioned cars across the highway and lit them on fire to form a “wall of flames” that stopped the armored van.Motorists were trapped on the road, terrified and traffic was brought to complete standstill.
A shootout broke out as soon as Carabinieri patrols arrived on the spot. Using cars as cover, the suspects engaged in gunfire with officers while brandishing Kalashnikov rifles and shotguns. During the pursuit, three bullets struck one police car, and an unmarked car was rammed.
After that, the gangsters stole cars from passing motorists in order to escape the scene.A high-speed Alfa Romeo car was later stopped by authorities, who found it abandoned in the countryside. At least two suspects are still at large, while two were taken into custody after making an attempt to escape on foot.There were no reports of injuries.
