Open the Safe, Give the Money: Details on the Case of the Colonel Who Killed Two at HSBC Bank

The trial regarding the case of Daniel Danielyan continued at the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction in the Kentron administrative district, presided over by Tatevik Grigoryan.

According to the charges, Daniel Danielyan, serving as the head of the Center for Recording Violations Detected by the Armenian Police's Traffic Police, and holding the rank of Colonel, intended to commit armed robbery, using violence dangerous to human life and health, to steal a particularly large sum equivalent to 500,000 US dollars, or 242 million 355 thousand AMD, from the HSBC Bank Armenia, Komitas branch.

To carry out his criminal intent, Danielyan planned the execution of the crime and on May 3, 2018, around 2:18 PM, while masked and armed with an illegal FABARM brand carbine loaded with 12 gauge fragmentation bullets, and equipped with a military-grade explosive device resembling hand grenades, illegally entered the bank branch. He fired once into the ceiling, demanded customers to lie on the floor, and ordered bank employees to hand over 500,000 US dollars.

To eliminate the obstacles to realizing his criminal intent, and for material gain combined with robbery, Danielyan shot at the bank's security guard Khachatur Galstyan, fatally injuring him in the chest area, thus intentionally depriving him of his life.

Continuing with his criminal intent, Danielyan demanded money from another guard, Aram Mkrtchyan, who, under the threat of Danielyan's weapon, escorted him to the cash counting section of the branch.

After failing to obtain the password for the metal safe, and with the intent to kill Mkrtchyan, Danielyan attempted to shoot him in the abdomen. However, Mkrtchyan actively resisted, pushing the barrel down, causing the shot to hit the floor. The carbine fell to the ground, and Danielyan then attacked Mkrtchyan with a hunting knife, causing him to suffer serious injuries.

According to the charges, Danielyan was unable to complete his intent to kill Mkrtchyan as he managed to hide behind a nearby wall. In addition, Armen Khachatryan, who coordinated the bank's operations, distracted Danielyan’s attention by stating that he was willing to give him the requested amounts.

Threatening with the knife and grenade, Danielyan demanded 500,000 US dollars. Khachatryan brought out the entirety of the large amount from the metal safe totaling 79,200,000 AMD, 110,000 US dollars, 39,690 euros, 242,240 Russian rubles, 7,925 British pounds sterling, 2,980 Canadian dollars, 200 Australian dollars, and 700 UAE dirhams, which were filled into bags provided by Danielyan.

Having taken the bags filled with money, Danielyan attempted to escape down Gulbenkian Street towards Aram Khachaturyan Street.

Police officers pursued him. In an attempt to evade capture, Danielyan shot at police officer Ara Shakhloulian in the abdomen, following which he fired a second shot at the same area. Shakhloulian died later that day in the hospital from the gunshot wounds.

To further evade capture, Danielyan also fired at police officer Vaghinak Sargsyan and civilian Hratchya Mejlumyan, who were among those pursuing him, yet he could not complete the crime as he ran out of ammunition.

Vaghinak Sargsyan, along with Mejlumyan and several citizens, managed to detain Danielyan, during which he continued to exhibit violent behavior, injuring Sargsyan with his knife. Banknotes stolen from the bank were found scattered on the pavement, while Danielyan was subdued and handcuffed on the ground.

A search of Danielyan's residence later that day uncovered illegal military munitions, including 25 bullets.

According to 1in.am, during this court session, four witnesses were interrogated. Two were clients present in the bank at the time of the incident, and the other two were bank employees.

One witness recalled that it had been just 3-4 minutes since he was in the bank lobby when he suddenly heard a gunshot-like sound, followed by a demand for everyone to lie on the floor. Everyone complied, including the witness. While he did not have a clear line of sight, he overheard the assailant demanding, “Open the safe, give the money, call, turn off the alarms.”

The witness testified that he recognized the bank manager from a distance and noted that while lying down, he heard the manager, named Armen, reassuring the assailant and pleading not to shoot. “While I was lying down, I lost track of time, but when I returned home and calculated the time, it turned out to have lasted about 20 minutes,” said the witness.

He noted that he remained on the floor until everyone else stood up, realizing that the assailant had exited the bank.

Another witness observed a wounded security guard inside the bank, who was in uniform and bleeding. He recalled hearing two shots inside the bank but did not hear any gunfire from outside. When he left the bank, he learned that the assailant had been apprehended.

The presiding judge noted that during the pre-investigation phase, all the confiscated and recognized tangible evidence, including the entire amount of money, had been handed over for safekeeping to the responsible party at HSBC Bank. The issue pertains to the bank's handling of the money, which at that moment cannot occur as the court has not examined the evidence, including the item in question. Thus, the resolution of the matter has been postponed for the court's consideration after the examination of the evidence.

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