AVONDALE, AZ – Police are looking for suspects after a truck driver was held at gunpoint, tied up, and robbed in Avondale Tuesday morning.
Detective Reuben Gonzales with the Avondale Police Department said an armed robbery and kidnapping of a truck driver was reported in the area of 99th Avenue and Interstate 10 at 5:32 a.m.
Gonzalez said the driver had reportedly driven the 18-wheel semi truck from California and arrived at the Pilot truck stop to take a short break.
He said the driver returned to his truck and was approached by a black male in his 30s armed with a dark-colored handgun.
The suspect allegedly forced him to drive the truck to an industrial complex in the area of 99th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
The driver reportedly said that a U-Haul type box truck followed behind as the suspect held him at gunpoint forcing him to drive to the industrial complex.
Gonzales said the driver was then tied up inside the cab of his truck.
"He was tied up and inside the cab of his truck for 15 to 20 minutes while they were unloading the truck," Gonzales said.
The suspects unloaded the contents of his truck into the U-Haul truck and allegedly fled in an unknown direction.
The driver of the semi truck’s final destination was Mesa where he was to drop the trailer off at a Best Buy distribution center, said Gonzales.
The exact contents inside the trailer are still being determined and this case is still under investigation.
Gonzales said the driver was not harmed during the incident and the semi truck and trailer were not taken.
Truckers say this type of highway robbery is on the rise.
"We're out here busting our butts trying to keep our customers happy, and you have people out here who don't want to work for a living or earn what they want to get, and they want to steal it from people, and it just ain't right," Mike Woodridge said.
Many said the job can be hazardous.
"There's a lot of dangerous stuff that happens on this job every day," Seth Kramer said. "You just gotta learn to deal with it."
Anyone with information about the case should contact
Avondale police.
