A suspended police officer and two other men are accused of using capsicum spray in a violent $300,000 robbery of a man and a woman in Sydney's southwest.
But the spoils of the alleged heist weren't held for long after heavily-armed police officers pounced following the hold-up in Cabramatta on Monday.
Ashur Oshana, a 29-year-old senior constable who lives at home with his parents, is now facing a maximum of 20 years in jail for armed robbery in company.
Oshana is attached to the NSW police force's south west metropolitan region but is suspended without pay.
His two alleged co-offenders, Phillip Truong and Jamal Tashman, were also arrested at Cabramatta and charged with armed robbery.
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Police allege capsicum spray was used against the robbery targets, Van Le and Thi Vo, and a bystander.
"The offence involves the use of violence against the victims and bystander and an OC spray," court documents state.
All three men, aged 29, have also been charged with three counts of larceny.
Court documents reveal the three are accused of stealing sets of registration plates, twice on Monday and on another occasion in August.
They did not appear in Liverpool Local Court on Tuesday and will remain behind bars until at least Thursday, when they are expected to apply for bail.
Their lawyer Habib Tashman would not comment on whether the men would defend the charges.
"At this stage I'm not going to say anything, we still have to consider all of our options,," he said outside the court.
"They are fine, they are doing ok."
Officers from the Professional Standards Command, which investigates allegations of police misbehaviour, were also part of Monday's arrest.
The bail applications will be made in Campbelltown Local Court on Thursday.
