Lenco Industries, Inc., has announced that the City of Stockton, Calif.’s BearCat tactical armored vehicle (TAV) was instrumental in a recent incident in which three heavily armed persons robbed the Bank of the West and took three hostages.

Officer Mark Sandberg of the Stockton Police Department SWAT team says the Bearcat, which was put into service in 2012, performed extremely well in the incident. “During the hour-long pursuit and constant rolling gun battle, the subjects fired four rounds at the Bearcat with an AK-47.” He adds, “The Bearcat was hit four times, three on the chassis and one hit to the right rear tire. The tire eventually went flat, but due to the run flat set up we were able to bring the Bearcat to the end of the pursuit, enabling us to safely approach the suspect vehicle. The three rounds that hit the chassis, well to say they were defeated by the armor is an understatement.”

The BearCat is widely used to protect law enforcement and civilian populations in the face of armed barricades, high risk warrants and active shooter scenarios. According to a news article in online publication Recordnet.com, police purchased the vehicle to provide greater protection for SWAT team members who are often called on to serve high-risk search warrants.