Armored guards ambushed, one shot during robbery at Hustler Casino in Gardena

Gunmen ambushed a pair of armored truck security guards during a stop Thursday at the Hustler Casino in Gardena, according to police.

One guard was shot during an exchange of gunfire with the robbers, Lt. Christopher Cuff with the Gardena Police Department said.

“From what I understand, as soon as they got out of the [armored truck] they were met with gunfire,” Cuff said. The suspects were armed with handguns and at least one rifle and made off with an unknown amount of money, he said.

The suspects did not enter the casino and fled after one of the armored car security guards returned fire, Cuff said. A second armored car security guard was injured due to “cuts and multiple lacerations” he said.

The suspects remain at large and there was no description provided, other than the suspects were wearing dark colored clothing. The Hustler Casino was open during the shooting and several witnesses ran into the building.

Gardena police and Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene shortly before 10:30 a.m. after receiving reports of gunfire.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene for a gun shot wound victim and transported them to a local hospital in an unknown condition shortly after 10:30 a.m. according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Helicopter video from several news stations showed employees and patrons being led out of the building and an armored vehicle in the parking lot. There was no immediate description of the shooter and police are continuing to search the area, according to emergency scanner reports.

Police in riot gear surrounded a building down the street from the casino on South Vermont Avenue around 12:10 p.m. It’s unclear if a suspect was inside the building, according to emergency scanner dispatches. Witness said they saw a suspect run toward a building, but people inside that building said they did not see anyone enter.