2 Guards Die in Crash of Armored Van

Two security guards were killed Tuesday night when their armored van careened off the Antelope Valley Freeway and flew 100 feet across a ravine into a hillside, authorities said.

The white armored van, owned by Garden Grove-based Antek West Security, was heading south on the freeway toward Los Angeles when the driver apparently lost control on a curve around 6:30 p.m. near Escondido Canyon Road, said Officer Doug Sweeney, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

Because of unusual circumstances surrounding the crash--including the report that no other vehicles were apparently involved--investigators had not ruled out foul play, Sweeney said.

He said the vehicle, which picks up cash deposits at automated teller machines, was full of money at the time of the accident.

“There is money in the rear,” Sweeney said, “quite a bit of money.”

The crash took place about 15 miles north of Santa Clarita, a short distance from where four young men and a teenage girl were killed last month after their car ran off the freeway and plunged down a 75-foot embankment.

The driver of the van, described as a man in his 40s, was killed instantly.

A second guard, riding in the rear of the van, was thrown forward and also killed on impact. He was also in his 40s

“We don’t know what caused it,” Sweeney said. “He was driving normally and failed to negotiate the curve.”

Sweeney said the driver was wearing a seat belt, but was crushed by the force of the crash. The passenger was not wearing a restraint, he said.

Investigators could find no trace of a skid at the accident scene, and Sweeney said no one saw the vehicle leave the roadway.