Three 911 calls were released Tuesday describing the wild scene minutes after the heist of 275 lbs of gold bars — worth nearly $5 million — from a plain 18-wheeler along I-95 Sunday evening.
The confused drivers described a chaotic scene in Wilson County, noting that they saw the guards from the truck with their hands tied up along the interstate.
A male caller said the two guards ran into the road attempting to flag down cars for help in one of those calls minutes after 3 armed men took barrels of gold out of the truck and loaded it into a white van.
“It looks like they’ve got some sort of guard uniform on,” a caller said of the two robbery victims. “They’ve got their hands zip-tied behind their backs, and they’re out in the road to try to flag people down to call the police.”
The 911 operator asked about the guard uniform aspect of the call, and the 911 caller said “It looks like they have a badge on the front of it.”
The caller waited in his car for at least 12 minutes, describing the scene to the dispatcher and waiting for officers to arrive on the scene, according to the recording released by Wilson County authorities.
The man tells the dispatcher he didn’t feel safe leaving his car, but one of the guards can be heard trying to relate details though his window.
The caller said that one of the guards told him they were hauling gold, silver and diamonds when they were robbed at gunpoint by three people in a white minivan. The caller describes the guards’ vehicle as an 18-wheeler and says he’ll wait in his sedan with his hazard lights on for police.
The strange scene around dusk Sunday drew the attention of at least two other emergency callers.
A woman described the guards walking into the road with their hands tied but said she didn’t feel safe stopping.
“It’s dark, it’s raining and they’re walking in the middle of the road. I didn’t know what to do,” she told a 911 operator.
Wilson County deputies and the FBI continue their search for the 3 men they said pulled off the $4.8 million gold heist on Sunday.
The armed theft of 275 lbs of gold happened just before 7 pm Sunday on I-95, near mile marker 114.
The drivers of the armored truck, carrying gold and silver, experienced mechanical issues, forcing the to pull over. That’s when 3 armed males got them out of the truck, tied them up in the woods, and drove off with the gold.
WNCT was there as deputies searched the area Monday, calling in K9’s to find evidence or any trace of the men.
Truck driver William Reeves said he would never pull over on the side of I-95 and believes the truck was targeted.
“Somebody knew something,” said William Reeves, truck driver. “Somebody got the info somebody that knew that was in the truck.”
If you have any information, you’re asked to contact the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.
The armored truck company, TransValue, said it is offering $50,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest of the suspects.
The company says its shipments are insured for up to $100 million.
