Editing 2005 Ploiești shootout (section)

== Shootout ==
At approximately 5:45{{nbsp}}a.m., Petru drove the Renault into the cash centre's vehicle court and stopped immediately outside the open loading bay. He joined Iakob and Emil for the initial entry, and all three moved through the bay into the dispatch area.

A guard saw the masked armed men entering and pressed his mobile panic button before firing at Iakob. Iakob immediately returned fire and killed him. The alarm had already been transmitted when two guards responded to the gunfire from the counting hall, entering the corridor toward the dispatch area. Emil, who was covering that route, opened fire with the RPK. He killed one guard and seriously wounded the other. The wounded guard retreated deeper into the building, and the three robbers entered the counting hall.

They took consignments already prepared for dispatch rather than continuing into the inner cash-storage section. Once the route between the counting hall and loading bay was secured, Petru returned toward the Renault and began carrying the consignments outside.

At approximately 5:49{{nbsp}}a.m., Petru was carrying another consignment toward the loading bay when the security supervisor came up behind him and knocked the PM md. 63 from his hands. They fought at close range until Petru overpowered the supervisor and repeatedly punched him. Petru then drew his Makarov PM and shot the supervisor in the head, committing his first documented murder. A bullet grazed Petru's shoulder during the fight.

When Petru returned to the counting hall, Iakob was already firing at anyone who moved, including unarmed employees. The guard whom Emil had seriously wounded earlier fired back from deeper inside the building and struck Iakob twice in the body armour. Neither bullet penetrated. Iakob returned fire and killed the guard, then continued shooting through the hall, killing three employees and wounding two others.

The open loading bay faced the vehicle court, approximately 100 feet (30 m) from its gate. At approximately 5:50{{nbsp}}a.m., the first patrol from Ploiești Urban Police Section 4 drove through the gate in response to the alarm and stopped near the entrance to the court. Iakob heard the police car arrive and moved back toward the loading-bay opening. He saw the officer at the wheel open his door and begin to step out while the second officer moved behind the car toward the brick gatepost. Iakob opened fire from the loading-bay area, killing the driver beside the open door and seriously wounding his partner before he reached the gatepost.

At approximately 5:52{{nbsp}}a.m., Emil remained farther inside the counting hall and expected Iakob to protect the corridor behind him. Once Petru had loaded cash worth approximately 6 million new lei, Iakob left the corridor without warning Emil and ordered Petru to drive. Emil was still facing deeper into the building when the two withdrew. Once Iakob stopped covering the route, surviving guards moved back into the corridor and took positions between Emil and the loading bay. Emil realized that he had been cut off when he tried to follow the others.

Police reinforcements reached the centre at approximately 5:53{{nbsp}}a.m. as Petru drove the Renault out of the vehicle court. Iakob fired from the rear doors and wounded two officers, preventing an immediate pursuit of the van.