Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
07/19/1984: Twelve members of The Order took part in the robbery of a Brinks armored car, on California Highway 20, between U.S. Highway 101 and Lake Mendocino outside of Ukiah, California, in the United States, shortly after noon. In the midst of the robbery, the perpetrators, all but one, wearing bandannas over their faces, and one dressed in disguise as a woman, used a variety of firearms to stop the Brinks truck and its drivers and steal $3.6 million. During the event, one perpetrator held up a note, reading "Get out or die" (similar to the note used in the April 23 armored truck robbery in Seattle, Washington). Even though shots were fired, there were no injuries or casualties from the robbery. However, the tires of the Brinks truck were shot flat to stop it. Eventually, ten people were charged with the robbery.Overview
GTD ID:
198407190009
When:
1984-07-19
Country:
United States
Region:
North America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
California
City:
Near Ukiah
Location Details:
California Highway 20, between U.S. Highway 101 and Lake Mendocino outside of Ukiah, California
What
| Type of Attack (more) | Armed Assault |
| Type of Attack (more) | Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
| Successful Attack? (more) | Yes |
| Target Type: Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Brink's US (a division of Brink's Incorporated) | ||
| Specific Description | Brink's US armored truck, and the three Brink's guards inside the truck | ||
| Nationality of Target | United States | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
| Value of Property Damage | $3,600,000.00 |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Firearms | Rifle/Shotgun (non-automatic) |
| Firearms | Handgun |
| Firearms | Automatic Weapon |
| Weapon Details | |
| 9mm H&K rifle; 469 Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol; two Heckler & Koch .308 caliber semi-automatic rifles; AR-15 .223 rifle; Israeli 9mm Uzi; Ingram MAC-10 automatic machine pistol | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | No |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Additional Information | Upon speeding away from the scene in two Ford pickup trucks that they bought prior to the heist, the perpetrators threw roofing nails in the road to sabotage other cars. After the men got away, they stopped at the Palmo Recreational area, where they switched cars, transferred all the money and belongings, and changed their clothes before pulling back onto the highway. In addition to the twelve perpetrators who committed the robbery, a former Brink's employee, Charles E. Ostrout , acted as an accessory as he helped the group plan the robbery in advance by providing information on the truck driver's route. Strout was eventually indicted, and sentenced to 5 years for racketeering. Of the 12 perpetrators, Andrew Barnhill, Randolph Duey, James Dye, Randall Evans, Richard Kemp, Bruce Pierce, Gary Yarbrough, Robert Merki, Richard Scutari, Denver Parmenter were charged with armored car robbery and various other racketeering charges under the RICO Act. It is unclear whether each of them was convicted for this particular incident, but overall, all ten of them were sentenced for their crimes with the Order after either trials or plea agreements, and received a range of prison sentences. William Soderquist walked free after he became a witness for the government and was placed in the witness protection program. Robert Mathews died in a fire in his home, after a shoot out with the police. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| The Order (Silent Brotherhood) | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | 12 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 10 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 0 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, "The Silent Brotherhood: Inside America's Racist Underground," The Free Press, Macmillan Inc., 1989. |
| Mark S. Hamm, "Terrorism as Crime: From Oklahoma City to Al-Qaeda and Beyond," New York University Press, 2007. |
| Brent L. Smith, "Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams," State University of New York Press, 1994. |
Copyright © 2009-2022 University of Maryland
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
An Emeritus Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Data and Privacy | End User Agreement | Contact
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
An Emeritus Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Data and Privacy | End User Agreement | Contact