Looking back: Calgary’s infamous Brinks heist

The deadly holdup at the University of Alberta is reviving memories of a commando-style Brinks heist in Calgary at the North Hill mall.

On March 19, 1998, two men dressed in military fatigues and armed with assault rifles and tear gas, ambushed two guards delivering $300,000 in cash to a branch of the CIBC.

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More than 80 bullets were fired during the ensuing gun battle, but in the end no one was injured and the robbers fled empty-handed.

Patrick Ryan, a former bank machine technician , was later arrested as he stepped off a ferry in France.

He was extradited back to Canada and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Darnell Bass, a former Canadian soldier and member of the disbanded Canadian Airborne , was sentenced to 7 years.

Bass was released from Bowden Institution in 2001 and now works as a locksmith .