8:40am Monday 29th September 2008
By Andy Chiles
Shocked shoppers watched in horror as gunmen stole £60,000 from a supermarket, warning security guards: "We'll blow your brains out."
Two masked robbers leapt from behind a hedge and held a gun against the head of a security worker outside Tesco in Church Road, Hove, on Saturday.
They demanded that the man, a driver for money moving firm Group 4 Securicor, handed over bags containing a large sum of money which had just been brought out of the supermarket.
The pair ran off through a block of flats to a car parked in Connaught Road and sped away.
Sussex Police said the violent attack had happened very quickly and the men had made their getaway before officers reached the scene.
The raid happened at 11.40am, one of the busiest times of the week for the supermarket, and was seen by dozens of shoppers.
Eye-witnesses said the G4S driver had come out of the store carrying the cash and put it on the turntable system on his van for a colleague inside to collect and securely store.
As he did the gunmen sprung from their hiding place, wearing masks to cover part of their faces.
One onlooker said: "The robbers put a gun to the guard's head and banged on the side of the van and said: "If you don't turn the money back around we're going to blow your colleague's brains out"."
The guards handed over the cash and the men made their escape.
Sources said between £60,000 and £80,000 in cash was being collected from the store.
Sussex Police said a red hatchback VW Golf getaway car was spotted driving at speed out of Connaught Road and was discovered abandonned in Mortimer Road, in Poet's Corner, Hove, 20 minutes later.
Both gunmen were male and described as in their 20s or 30s and between 5'8" and 6'0" tall. Police said one was black or dark skinned and the other was white or Arabic in appearance. One wore a flourescent jacket and the other wore dark clothes and a baseball cap.
Sussex Police were speaking to witnesses yesterday and have appealled for any others and anyone with information to call DS Chris Sherwell at Brighton CID on 0845 6070999.
DS Sherwell said: "This was obviously very traumatic for those people involved."
A Tesco spokesman said: "Several of our staff were fairly shaken up but none of them or our customers were hurt. We are doing whatever we can helping the police with their investigation. We are reviewing CCTV footage."
G4S said neither of its couriers was hurt in the attack.
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