Murdered Armored Car Guards Might Have Been Saved by Body Armor

Both armored car guards killed in yesterday’s armored car robbery in Philadelphia may have been saved if they had been wearing body armor.

Joe Alullo and William Widmaier, both retired Philadelphia police officers, died from gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. They were not wearing armor.

Loomis, the armored car company that employed the two men, does not require its guards to wear body armor on the job.

“While we encourage them, the choice to wear a vest is up to the individual,” Loomis spokesman Mark Clark told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Loomis employees must buy their own vests at a charge of about $500, but the company offers interest-free financing for the purchase.

At presstime Philadelphia police and other local law enforcement were conducting a massive manhunt for the suspect.

He is described as a black man, wearing a yellow baseball cap with a black logo, a black short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Video of the robbery indicates that he was driving a four-door black Acura TL with a sunroof. Police said Friday that they may have located the car.