3 Arrested, 1 Dead in Failed Armored Car Robbery
Waterloo, Iowa – 3 arrests have been made in the case of a failed armored car robbery on Wednesday morning.
According to the Waterloo Police Department, at around 9:45 a.m., 2 armed guards employed by the Rochester Armored Car company were loading bags of cash into their vehicle outside the U.S. Bank branch on Kimball Avenue, when they were approached from behind by 3 armed suspects.
One man, masked and holding a pistol in each hand told them to, “… get on the ground and give me all your money.”
The guards both turned and opened fire on the suspects. One man 37-year-old Bryce Miller, was struck by the gunfire and remained at the scene, suffering from his injuries.
His accomplices, 29-year-old Kevin Jouse Cruz Soliveras, and 37-year-old Cruz and Rogelio Gonzalez, fled in a getaway vehicle that had been shot multiple times during the gunfight with the guards.
When officers arrived, they found Miller suffering from his wounds and he was transported to a local hospital where he later died from complications of his injuries.
At least one errant round from the shootout struck a nearby van driven by an adult and containing a child passenger, but fortunately the bullet missed both occupants.
Detectives say the pair of fleeing suspects met up with a second getaway car driven by 28-year-old Justina Lynn Davis, switched to her Hyundai Sonata and eluded police for a few hours.
Law enforcement eventually caught up with all the suspects. Gonzalez was arrested when the vehicle he was in pulled up to the pumps at a gas station, and it was discovered that he too was suffering from a gunshot wound.
The suspects are reportedly no strangers to the judicial system.
Cruz is awaiting his chance to appear in court for a burglary of a Waterloo home on January 15th where a .22 caliber pistol and $2k in coins was stolen. When officers searched Cruz’s residence, they discovered the coins but did not find the pistol.
Likewise, Gonzalez has a criminal record stretching back to 2001 when he was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, and again in 2006 for selling more then 300 grams of meth. He was released from prison in 2016.
All three suspects have been charged with 1st degree robbery and likely face murder charges since their crime led to the death of their accomplice.
Law enforcement officials are encouraging anyone with information about the suspects, and/or the crime, to call the Waterloo Police Investigations Division, (319) 291-4340; or Cedar Valley Crime stoppers, (855) 300-8477.
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