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That's what federal authorities said three men did during a February 2024 heist in Swansea.
Steven Madison, 38, of Bridgewater, Christopher White, 37, of Raynham, and Quentin McDonald, 25, of Brockton, were indicted on one count of robbery interfering with interstate commerce, one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of arson of property used in or affecting interstate commerce, and one count of conspiracy, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.
Madison and White were also indicted for brandishing a pistol in the commission of a crime of violence, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
The robbery began in the early morning of Feb. 19. Two men were spotted on surveillance video stealing a U-Haul moving van from a lot in Abington. The men drove the van to a Swansea bank and waited.
When an armed guard carrying money from licensed cannabis companies arrived with $436,200 to deposit at the bank, the two men in the van enacted their plan, the prosecutor said.
They wore face masks and camouflaged clothing as they pulled the U-Haul alongside the courier. One of them zip-tied his guard's hands behind his back and tried to disarm him of his service weapon, the prosecutor continued. They failed and shoved him into the backseat of his car and pepper sprayed him instead.
The second man leaped out of the van and began moving the bundles of cash into the U-Haul.
The guard was able to get one hand free, and he fired four rounds at the van as it sped away.
The burglars met a third accomplice soon after the robbery, where they transferred the cash to an SUV before setting the U-Haul ablaze, the prosecutor said.
Investigators soon identified Madison, White, and McDonald as potential suspects. Police found $5,000 in cash stashed around Madison's Bridgwater home along with a Rolex watch worth $47,000, a sweatshirt matching what one of the robbers wore during the heist, a gun, ammunition, and cocaine, the prosecutor said.
Police found zip-ties, a black mask, a gun, ammunition, and cocaine and White's home in Raynham, authorities said.
Madison and McDonald both have prior convictions for masked armed robbery, and White's criminal record includes convictions for theft and receiving stolen property, the prosecutor said.
The men face potentially decades in prison if found guilty of the heist.
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