Robbers Wound 2 Guards in Holdup Outside Bank

EL MONTE — Two security guards carrying cash and checks for a large auto dealership were ambushed and shot Monday by a pair of robbers waiting outside a bank.

Security officers for Longo Toyota--which bills itself as the world’s largest Toyota dealership--were shot shortly before noon outside a Wells Fargo Bank branch near the dealership, which is located beside the San Bernardino Freeway.

El Monte city spokesman John A. Pilger said the robbers fled with a “substantial amount” of cash and checks.

The guards, both 15-year veterans of Longo’s security detail, were airlifted to County-USC hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.

They were identified as Erich Armbrust, 44, of Temple City and Reyes Cortez, 45, of Fontana, Pilger said. Armbrust, Longo’s director of security, was shot in the chest and Cortez was shot in the back, he said.

The pair were driving a golf cart owned by the dealership to the bank when two robbers opened fire with handguns, Pilger said.

“They . . . were immediately ambushed by two robbers who were lying in wait,” he said.

Cortez, who was holding a briefcase filled with cash and receipts, fell into the bank building and one robber fired another shot in an attempt “to execute him,” Pilger said.

The robbers fled with the stolen receipts in a green Oldsmobile, police said.