Four questioned for urinating on armored truck

By Li Xinran  |   2008-12-17  |     ONLINE EDITION

FOUR people were taken away by police yesterday after they allegedly blocked the path of a cash transport truck and one of them urinated on it in Henan Province.

The people, who police later said were drunk, used their passenger van to stop at an intersection in Zhengzhou City, Henan's capital, for more than two hours yesterday afternoon to hold up an armored truck transporting cash, Henan Business Daily reported.

They accused security guards in the truck of threatening them with guns when they stopped at a red light.

However, the security company denied the allegation and said the four people were trying to stir up trouble. Xue Xuemin, a manager of the company, told the newspaper that the passenger van zigzagged in front of their armored truck. After their truck overtook the passenger van, the two vehicles reached a red light. Two men jumped out of the passenger van and started kicking the truck, Xue told the newspaper.

Security guards ignored them and kept going once the light turned green, Xue said. But the van chased the truck and cut it off in order to block it, according to Xue.

After they managed to block the armored truck, one man urinated on it, which short-circuited the engine, according to the report. The company dispatched another truck to pick up the cash about 5pm and deliver it to its destination.

A security guard in the truck video taped the incident with his mobile phone, the newspaper said.

Security guards didn't get out of the truck until police arrived, Xue said.

According to the company, it was impossible for security guards to threaten people with guns as its rules state that security guards in armored trucks are not allowed to exit the vehicle in an emergency until police arrive. Plus, only the vehicle's chief can exit once police arrive, the company said. The others are required to stay in the truck with their weapons, it added.