Two Guards Killed in Armored Car Crash

Two security guards were killed Tuesday night in Agua Dulce when the armored car they were driving skidded off the Antelope Valley Freeway and flew 100 feet across a ravine, hitting a hillside head-on, authorities said.

The armored van, owned by Garden Grove-based Antek West Security, was heading south toward Los Angeles when the driver apparently lost control on a curve about 6:30 p.m. near Escondido Canyon Road, said CHP spokesman Doug Sweeney.

Because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the crash, including the fact that no other vehicles were apparently involved, investigators had not ruled out foul play, Sweeney said.

Sweeney said the vehicle, which carries cash picked up from automated teller machines, was full of money at the time.

“There is money in the rear,� Sweeney said, “quite a bit of money.�

The crash occurred about 15 miles north of Santa Clarita, just a short distance from where four young men and a teenage girl were killed last month when their car ran off the freeway and plunged down a 75-foot embankment.

The van’s driver, described as a man in his 40s, was killed instantly. A second guard in his 40s in the rear of the van, was thrown forward and also killed on impact.

“We don’t know what caused it,� Sweeney said. “He was driving normally and failed to negotiate the curve.�

Sweeney said the driver was wearing a seat belt but was crushed by the force of the crash. The passenger was not wearing a restraint, he said.

Investigators found no skid marks, and Sweeney said no one saw the vehicle leave the road.