German poker heist: Robbers still on the run

“We are confident we will catch them,” police spokesman Guido Busch said.

The men,armed with machetes and guns,stormed the downtown Berlin Grand Hyatt hotel on Saturday afternoon,forcing hotel employees to hand them at least part of the tournament’s jackpot money,which stood at euro1 million ($1.36 million).

Inside the poker room,panic spread among the participants and at least seven people were injured while trying to escape,Busch said.

Security guards tried to retain the attackers. One of the robbers was pulled down by a guard and lost a bag with a substantial part of the money in the ensuing battle,police said.

The total amount of stolen money is a “low six-digit-figure,” Busch said. Local media previously reported the robbers managed to escape with euro200,000 ($272,000).

Following the brazen daylight heist the robbers escaped on foot through a nearby shopping mall – not wearing black masks any longer – and finally fled in a getaway car.

Police were evaluating the possibility of using some of the surveillance footage for a public search appeal,Busch said.

The five-day-tournament was organized by the European Poker Tour,which calls it the biggest such event in Germany.

The poker games in the hotel – where only a few weeks ago celebrities showed up for the Berlin film festival – was continued on Sunday,tournament organizers said.