He had attained the age to enjoy the passing of time. A 75-year-old retiree, unknown to law enforcement, set out yesterday afternoon, alone, on an improbable and fateful armed robbery of a casino in Trouville (Calvados) before being gunned down a few hours later by the gendarmes whom he had fired upon with a handgun. Manuel Canedo did not survive his wounds.
According to the preliminary investigation entrusted to agents of the judiciary police of Caen and Rouen (Seine-Maritime), the holdup man had planned his crime. After a "period of observation" inside the gaming establishment on the Côte Fleurie, around 2:15 pm, he donned a cap and concealed the bottom of his face with a scarf, then approached a cashier. Armed with a .25 caliber pistol (6.35 mm), Manuel Canedo demanded the contents of the safe. "This could not be accessed, but he was provided with the contents of the cash register, approximately 7500 euros," confides a source close to the investigation. He was then spotted by a guard. Hesitant before the atypical profile of the armed robber, the guard advanced. The retiree fired once in his direction, and then a second time into the air. "Despite his disguise, his face was largely visible. He acted calmly and under control inside the casino," continues the same source.
Manuel Canedo proceeded to leave the premises by an exit located at the rear of the casino, which is operated by the Groupe Lucien Barrière. He returned to his vehicle, a SEAT Ibiza, but found himself facing two policemen, who had been informed of the robbery in progress. "The holdup man was not impressed, quite the contrary, he simply aimed his gun and fired at the officers," continues the same source. "An agent was hit in the chest, but he was wearing his bullet-proof vest. He suffered all the same a deep bruise. The police returned fire but without success." Undaunted, the septuagenarian started his engine with a roar. Several policemen immediately sped off in pursuit. The man made his escape and a dragnet was set up. "The car's license plate was recorded and the owners name was very quickly known," explains a senior official. "From the car we learned the identity of the perpetrator, that he was born in May 1936, and that he was unknown to law enforcement."
Manuel, who lived in the village of Gacé in the department of Orne, proceeded at high speed along Departmental Route 27 in the direction of Dives-sur-Mer, approximately 15 kilometers from Trouville. Multiple patrols of gendarmes as well as a helicopter were called in as reinforcements. "Nothing seemed sufficient to stop him," recounts a serviceman who followed the scene from a distance. "He opened fire numerous times, like Jacques Mesrine, who held up the casino in Deauville in 1978."
On his route, he met gendarmes posted at a roundabout. As they tried to stop him, he fired, hitting an officer in the forearm. The servicemen fired back. The robber continued his mad escape and ended up losing control of his vehicle. Around 4pm, the grandfatherly bandit was spotted, now making his way on foot, in downtown Dives-sur-Mer. His back against the wall, he broke into a house and forced the homeowner behind the wheel of his own car, to aid him in escaping his pursuers. The occupant, terrorized, complied. After covering some thirty or forty meters in his Opel Zafira, the hostage fled, taking advantage of a decrease in speed caused by traffic. Manuel Canedo himself took the wheel, and resumed his mad dash towards Lisieux. Around 4:30pm, gendarmes were able to stop him before he could hit their vehicle to immobilise it. Uncontrollable, Manuel fired several times before being struck by at least two shots fired in response by law enforcement. Mortally wounded, the septuagenarian gangster died a few minutes later. Interviewed last night, a close relative of Manuel Canedo confided her surprise at being informed of these facts. "It is not possible that he did this," she whispered. "He's a very old man. He never stole anything in his life. I can't believe it..."
Read the article in the original French at this link.
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| Trouville, France |
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