YEREVAN (A.W.)—Two people were killed in an armed assault and attempted robbery at an HSBC bank branch in Yerevan on Thursday.
According to reports, a security guard named Khachatur Galstyan employed by Armobil security died on scene after suffering a gunshot wound, while a police officer succumbed to his injuries while being treated.
The attacker has been identified by Yerevan police as Colonel Daniel Danielyan, the head of a traffic police unit, who was detained and arrested. Earlier on May 3, police said that a man armed with a grenade, a rifle, and a knife rushed the branch located at the corner of Gulbenkyan Street and Komitas Avenue and attacked two employees—killing one and severely injuring the other.
“The person who committed the robbery, stole the cash and fled. However, he did not manage to run far away,” read a part of the statement released by the police.
Some reports have indicated that the police officer killed in the attack was Ara Shahgulyan, a father of two, who had served as a police officer since 2000.
The authorities also released the video below, which provides details of the incident and shows Danielyan’s arrest.
“Bank robberies are very rare in Armenia,” journalist Emil Sanamyan tweeted, adding that the officer may have had job security issues, which led to the robbery.
bank robberies are very rare in Armenia; my guess is this cop had some job security issues and wanted to get out of Dodge w/some extra cash.
— Emil Sanamyan (@emil_sanamyan) May 3, 2018
SOB killed a teenager.