Two men shot in armed bank raid

A customer was shot while trying to help the security guard

A security guard and a customer have been shot in an attempted armed robbery at a Birmingham bank.

Three or four men took part in the raid at Lloyds TSB on Walsall Road in Great Barr on Monday morning, police said.

The Securicor worker was shot in the foot, while the second victim, thought to be 60 years old, received a leg wound while trying to intervene.

Neither injury is believed to be life-threatening. It is not yet clear if the men got away with any money.

Cordoned off

Four or five shots are thought to have been fired in the raid, which happened at about 0930 BST.

There was a lot of blood round there on the pavement Dr Amarjit Kandola

Det Sgt Graham Sproson said: "The man saw that the Securicor person was in trouble and he went to offer his assistance straight away.

"He's currently being treated in hospital."

Dr Amarjit Kandola, whose GP surgery is opposite the bank, said: "When I rushed over here I saw a man... slumped outside the entrance to bank with a gunshot wound to his left thigh.

"There was a lot of blood round there on the pavement.

"And also the Securicor man who was inside the bank had a gunshot wound to his right foot.

"I was more concerned about (the man outside) because he looked quite shocked."

The guard is believed to be a 48-year-old man from West Bromwich.

There were about 25 or 30 people in the bank at the time. The offenders drove off towards Handsworth the wrong way down a dual carriageway.

The area has been cordoned off and the road outside the bank is closed, although police hope to reopen it in time for the rush hour.