Police arrested three men following an armed robbery at the BP garage in the A23, Gossops Green, Crawley.
The men, armed with a firearm, held up an ATM cash delivery vehicle, at about 11am and fled with money.
The robbers, from the London area, are believed to have left the scene in their Mercedes car, turning left into Horsham Road and towards the t
own centre.
They approached the Horsham Road level crossing, which was down, and smashed through it before abandoning the car in Albany Road. Stolen money was blowing from the car boot, which had been left open.
The men are then reported to have approached a 70-year-old Crawley motorist, punched him in the face and taken his Ford Fiesta, which they left in The Dingle.
The victim has been taken to the New East Surrey Hospital suffering from bruising.
The three men then boarded a bus, which had three passengers. Armed officers stopped the bus and arrested the men.
The stolen cash and weapon were found in the abandoned Mercedes.
No shots were fired and the only injury reported is to the 70-year-old motorist. The force helicopter was used in the operation.
Three men have been arrested and are helping police with their enquiries.
Supt Steve Whitton, who headed the operations department, said: "I want to thank members of the public for their assistance in helping ensure a safe and successful conclusion to this incident.
"The public really made the difference, not only supporting us by confirming the directions the men took but also helping to recover the discarded money."
Any one with information is asked to contact Sussex Police on 0845 6070999
