Looters in Armored Car Cash Spill May Face Jail

SAN FRANCISCO — Police warned on Wednesday that jail sentences may await opportunists who reportedly made off with more than $700,000 after an armored car accidently dumped a crate of cash in the street, sparking a mad scramble for the loot.

Three to five people driving by when the truck dropped an estimated $771,000 in an industrial area Tuesday scooped up clear plastic bags full of cash and sped off. Only $40,100 was recovered, police said.

So far, two “honest” people have stepped forward, police said.

A television repairman picked up two bags containing $20,050 each and took them straight to the nearby offices of Loomis Armored Inc.

A woman, identified only as a 30-year-old postal worker turned in $28,000, police said late Wednesday.

“She said she picked up the money and then got kind of scared, so she decided to turn it in,” Sgt. William Herndon said.

Investigators were tracing license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions reported by witnesses and trying to compile a list of the lost bills’ serial numbers. A spokesman for Oakland-based Loomis declined to comment.

“If they turn it in, the company is considering a reward,” said Police Lt. Barry Johnson. “The alternative is we trace them down and they go to jail. It’s their choice.”

The opportunistic motorists or pedestrians could face felony charges of grand theft if they took $500 or more, police said.

The incident occurred at 3:40 p.m. on a busy thoroughfare in the Potrero District.

The armored truck, filled with more than $1.7 million collected from 20 banks in the Bay Area.

Johnson said the driver claimed the rear door had been locked, but the dolly containing a crate of bills slammed against it and somehow forced it open.