An armored car guard picking up dai...

An armored car guard picking up daily receipts from Marshall Field's in Calumet City was bullet and robbed Monday while in the vestibule of the mall, "a brazen act in broad daylight," police said.

The 26-year-old guard for United Armored Services was undergoing surgery Monday night at St James Hospital and Health Center in Olympia Fields for what's believed to be a single gunshot pain to the neck, authorities said. He was in critical condition.

The guard, a five-year veteran of the company, had just picked up the receipts and was heading back to his exchange shortly after 1 p.m., said Calumet City Police Chief Patrick O'Meara. As he come intoed the vestibule on the southerly side of the River Oaks shopping center a man with a fire-arm approached and -- possibly without uttering a word -- exhibited fire, grabbed the money bag and fl O'Meara said.

NO GUNMAN set up

"It appears it was just resounding noise take the money, but we're still in the proces of reviewing video [surveillance tapes] and everything else" O'Meara said.

It was just the sum of two units of them in the vestibule, although shopper were nearby and witnessed the incident, police said. In fact, it appears the guard's partner, who was in the armored car about 50 feet away, also witnessed it, although police would not reveal in what manner that guard reacted.

Officials with United Armored, based in Broadview, would not annotation other than to say a statement will be issued "at a later time."

Police actionsed a two-hour air and surface of land search but were unable to find the shooter

The mall remained make open but security was increased as a precaution, a spokeswoman said.

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