Vancouver Police officer watches demonstrators protest on the streets
A Vancouver Police officer watches demonstrators protest on the streets following the federal government's approval of the Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline in Vancouver, British Columbia June 17, 2014. The Canadian government approved the construction of Enbridge Inc's Northern Gateway pipeline on Tuesday, setting the stage for a barrage of lawsuits and demonstrations by environmental and aboriginal groups opposed to the project. Reuters/Stringer

A Canadian armoured car guard was seriously injured during a shootout outside a bank. It happened in Toronto where police got involved with Jaden Beckford, Rashid Clarke and Nicholas Cross - three bank robbery suspects - in the shootout. Cross is from Toronto while the other two do not have any permanent address.

The 37-year-old injured guard was attacked when he left the GardaWorld armoured vehicle at a TD Canada Trust branch on Avenue Road north of Lawrence Avenue about 1:15 a.m. on Thursday, Globe and Mail reported. The teenage suspects allegedly attempted robbing the same guard as well as his partner a couple of weeks back. The guard is reportedly in critical condition.

Toronto Police Staff Inspector Mike Earl talked to reporters. "He was ambushed by three male suspects," Earl said, "And when I mean ambushed, he was immediately fired upon with a handgun. He took four rounds to the body." The guard shot back as one of the suspects tried shooting at him. According to police, more than 10 bullets were fired within a minute. During the shootout, the partner of the guard remained in the armoured truck in lockdown mode.

The robbery suspects, on the other hand, could not steal any money. They managed to run away on foot. However, they got arrested in the Lawrence heights area later on. A semi-automatic handgun which was believed to have been used as the only weapon in the shootout was seized. All the arrested suspects happen to be 18 years old. They now face several charges which include armed robbery and attempted murder.

The suspects also face conspiracy charges in relation to an attempted robbery on June 5, which involved the same guards. The repeated attempts to rob the same guards indicated that the teenagers kept a track of the armoured trucks which drop cash at banks. "These individuals no doubt planned this and attempted this on an earlier date, in my mind and the investigators' minds," Earl said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au