Armed Robber Enters Bank In Wheelchair Before Heist

Recently released footage of a bank robbery in Argentina shows a group of criminals entering the building, including one member who appears to be bound to a wheelchair, before leaping up to carry out the theft.

Video of the heist, posted below, shows three members of the four-person team slowly entering the building in the city of Rosario, with one of its members sitting in a wheelchair while two others appear as though they are attempting to help him. As soon as they are through the entrance of the bank, the man in the wheelchair stands up and a fourth man runs in holding a gun. The other criminals then draw their weapons and approach the bank employees.

The man in the wheelchair appears to have a cast on his left ankle as well as a neck brace around his neck, though he appears to have no trouble walking or moving once the robbery attempt is underway. One scene shows him jumping over the counter and helping one of his partners fill a bag with money from the bank’s safe.

While two of the criminals get behind the counter and demand the employees open the safe for them, two others appear to stand guard inside the bank. Both have hand guns, and one appears to draw his weapon on a bystander who is in the bank at the time of the robbery.

One of the men appears to attempt to cover a security camera in the waiting area of the bank. It isn’t clear if he was able to successfully obscure the camera, though several other cameras throughout the bank caught the full extent of the robbery.

The two criminals who get behind the bank’s counter—including the man who entered in the wheelchair—force a female member of the bank’s staff to open the safe for them. She stands with her hands above her head while the robbers empty the safe.

Once the criminals filled their bag with cash from the bank, they make a break for the exit. While they appear to get out of the bank without incident, the Daily Mirror reported the police were able to successfully identify the vehicle driven by the robbers.

The police found the alleged leader of the group, Sergio Martin "Mono" Canete, in his Ford Focus. He led the police on a 20-minute, high-speed car chase before he was finally forced to surrender and police arrested him.

Canete and his fellow criminals are currently on trial for the armed robbery, which took place in 2015. The group managed to steal £10,670 (about $14,800) during the robbery. The group denies all charges against them. Prosecutors are currently seeking a 20-year prison sentence for Canete.