An armed robber, suspected of being part of a gang of three who robbed the Gala Bingo Club in Pallion New Road, Sunderland, set himself alight when he appeared to be trying to burn out the vehicle that was used as a getaway car.
The three armed men, dressed in dark clothes and ski masks and armed with baseball bats stormed into the bingo club and threatened staff, demanding that the give them the takings. But the quick thinking staff alerted the police by setting off an alarm. Just a few minutes later police arrived at the report of a burning vehicle mere minutes away from the bingo hall and CCV footage showed that three men had tried to set the car alight. The men were also seen taking off down the road, one of them was as ablaze as the car they had tried to burn.
The staff in the bingo club were shaken, but no one was hurt, it is also believe that there were customers in the club, but fortunately they too were left unharmed. The car blaze was put out by a fire crew and now police are investigating an arson case as well as an armed robbery.
Tags: Bingo, Bingo Clubs, Gala Bingo