CCLEVELAND (WJW)– The FOX 8 I-Team found robbers held up two local drivers delivering packages for Amazon, even taking their trucks at gunpoint.
So, we investigated what this means for their safety and your deliveries. Both robberies happened in Cleveland’s Fairfax section within hours of each other.
The crimes took place a couple of weeks ago and 911 recordings were just released to the I-Team.
“I just got robbed. I work at Amazon. A dude robbed me with a gun in my face,” one driver told police. “He walked up on me. Said, ‘Don’t move. Don’t make a sound.’ Just took the truck and the packages… The few packages I had.”
In the other incident, a witness took the driver to a police station after seeing what happened.
“I’m bringing a person to the police station. He’s an Amazon driver. He just got robbed in front of me. They took his truck at gunpoint,” the witness told police.
“You could tell he was really, really scared. First of all, he did not deserve a gun put up to him. If it was me, I’d be scared half to death. I wanted to help because if it was me, I’d want someone to help me,” the witness told the FOX 8 I-Team on Tuesday.
Reports show, in both incidents, a robber put a gun to the chest of the guy making deliveries. In one case, the gunman got in the passenger seat of the van. He ordered the worker to drive to a tiny side street. There, the delivery driver had to give up his money, then slowly walk away leaving the van and the packages with the robber.
Cleveland police are looking at the possibility the crimes are connected. They, ultimately, found both stolen vans. Investigators said they hope evidence found in those vans will lead to clues. However, no one has been arrested.
The police reports do not indicate how many packages were stolen. In one case, the Amazon van was found with boxes in a field. Some of those boxes had been opened.
Amazon says it is, “Working with customers to make things right” for any missing packages.
Spokesperson Maria Boschetti tells the FOX 8 I-Team, “We take these matters seriously and are supporting law enforcement as they investigate the incident.”
Last year, in Cleveland, a UPS driver got robbed and shot. Police quickly arrested that gunman.
The new cases come at the start of deliveries for the holiday season and they put a new spotlight on safety precautions for drivers.
“I ain’t been robbed in my life,” the one driver said in the 911 call.
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