Armored Van Guard Killed by Gunmen

Three gunmen opened fire on a Brinks armored van at a Bank of America branch near the Venice Boardwalk on Thursday, killing one guard and wounding another before fleeing empty-handed, police said.

Robert Belcher, 47, of Los Angeles, described by authorities as a part-time minister and foster father, died at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital.

Another guard, 37-year-old Barry Quintin Jones of Riverside, was wounded in the leg and was treated and released at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

The shootings occurred shortly after 4 a.m. near Windward and Pacific avenues in the heart of the beachside community’s commercial district. Residents as far as half a mile away said they were jolted awake by rapid gunfire breaking the morning silence.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Anthony Alba said Belcher was walking from the bank with the night deposits, returning to the van where Jones sat waiting in the driver’s seat, when gunfire erupted.

The gunmen “opened fire at that point, firing multiple rounds--probably in excess of 70,” Alba said. “That side of the van looked like Swiss cheese.”

Alba and nearby residents said police were on the scene almost immediately after the firing stopped, apparently causing the suspects to flee before retrieving the deposit bag, which had fallen from Belcher’s hand.

Police deployed canine units through several nearby streets in their search for the gunmen but found nothing.

Alba said the guards were armed with .38-caliber revolvers but apparently were not able to return fire. He added that the suspects were on foot when they attacked but may have had a getaway vehicle nearby.

The ambush did not appear well-planned, Alba said.

“With all of the rounds they fired and the noise and just the brazenness, I wouldn’t think these people would be very successful,” he said.

Alba said Belcher was a part-time pastor at the New Birth Bible Church in the Wilshire district. He was also a foster father to several children, Alba said.

Thursday evening, family and friends held a vigil for the slain guard, whom they described as a warm man who was always smiling and who loved to play with his children. He leaves behind a wife, Deborah, 3-year-old twins Leana and Lenisha, three older children and a 4-month-old foster child.

“Robert was not concerned about the risks of his job because he felt a sense of security in the presence of God,” said the Rev. Roy Wheatle, pastor of New Birth. “It’s unfortunate such a tragedy should happen to someone so good and so committed to sharing his love with the community.”

Michael Jefferson, Belcher’s brother-in-law, said he had worked for Brinks for 2 1/2 years. “He died young, he didn’t deserve to die a death like this. It was a tremendous shock to all of us. We’re all coping with this together.”

Jones--who was shot in the knee--called his wife, Doris, shortly after 7:30 a.m. to let her know that he had been injured.

“Whenever there is an armored car involved in an incident, whether or not it’s Brinks, he tries to give me a call as soon as possible and let me know he’s OK,” Doris Jones said.

By midmorning Thursday the Brinks van remained parked at about a 45-degree angle in front of the bank’s entrance. Blood stained a four-foot rectangular portion of the curb and gutter at a parking meter where Belcher slumped after being shot.

Several bouquets of flowers were left just inside the yellow police tape near the bank, which reopened for business about 1:30 p.m.

Stunned neighbors living near the scene said they were awakened by a burst of rapid gunfire. There was a break of several seconds and then the firing started anew before it stopped, perhaps 30 seconds later.

David Lasseter, his wife and two children were staying in a home whose bedroom windows faced the bank about 50 yards away.

“I looked out the window and my wife pulled me back down,” Lasseter said. “It seemed like it lasted an eternity and it was incredibly loud. We were very scared.”

Lasseter said he heard the gunmen shouting at the guards. “I could hear a bunch of hollering and yelling, ‘Get out of the truck, get out of the truck.’ The cops came around the corner just as the shooting stopped.”

Seven-year-old Kylie Lasseter said she heard the loud noises and hurriedly put the covers over herself and her 2-year-old brother, who was sleeping nearby.

“I thought it was in our house, it was so loud,” she said. “It was so scary I thought somebody was going to get killed.”

Officials with the Brinks company, whose headquarters are in Connecticut, did not return phone calls Thursday. The general manager of Brinks’ Los Angeles office also declined to comment.

Doris Jones said her husband worked the 3:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift on a three-person crew that picked up receipts from ATMs.

Scheduling pickups at that hour “was a decision of Brinks,” Doris Jones said. “At that time of night, the ATMs are not usually being used. That’s the best time to service them.”

She said it was not the first time that her husband, a nine-year employee at the company, had been held up at gunpoint.

In July 1992, a gunman ordered Jones to hand over a bag of money. He obliged, and was released uninjured. Despite his wife’s concerns, he went back to work for Brinks.

“He calmed my nerves by asking what is the likelihood of getting robbed again,” Doris Jones said. “And here it is, August 1, and someone is dead.”

Times correspondent Monica Valencia contributed to this story.