Cash scattered across a Southern California freeway sent drivers into a frenzy

Traffic came to a stop on California's Interstate 5 Friday morning after an armored car happened to spill cash across the freeway, just north of San Diego. Several drivers and passengers jumped out of their vehicles to grab what they could. But the police want it all back.

The armored car was traveling north along the I-5 in Carlsbad at about 9:15 a.m. when one of the doors unexpectedly swung open and bags of cash flew out. Cars parked on the shoulder and in the middle of the road, as motorists and passengers raced to collect the bills — mostly $1s and $20s — littered across the ground, The San Diego Union Tribune reported.

But the California Highway Patrol is warning those who seized the moment to turn the cash in.

"I highly suggest to anybody that picked up cash out here — it's not your cash, so turn it in immediately to the CHP office in Vista," CHP Sgt. Curtis Martin told reporters.

Two people were arrested at the scene for allegedly collecting what they could, and others turned in what they had collected, the Tribune reported.

Videos across social media show plenty of people scooping up handfuls of cash along the freeway. Martin told reporters that these videos captured faces and license plates during the event and the CHP are working with the FBI to identify those who may not have turned the money in.

The armored car was transporting the money from San Diego to a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. office, possibly in either Los Angeles or Orange County. The freeway reopened around 11 a.m., The Associated Press reported.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.