Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

Reality TV star Todd Hoffman, known for his adventures on "Gold Rush," relives a terrifying encounter in the Guyana jungle, where he was pursued by armed men demanding $12,000 in cash.

In the heart of the Guyana jungle, veteran gold prospector Todd Hoffman faced his most perilous encounter yet. Hoffman, who rose to fame on Discovery's "Gold Rush," was pursued by armed men demanding $12,000 in cash.

Hoffman, 55, vividly recalls the incident, which transpired years ago while he was mining in Guyana. Carrying two backpacks filled with cash, Hoffman found himself in the crosshairs of assailants with ill intentions.

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

"I just come from the bank and I had two backpacks full of cash," Hoffman said. "Once I got in the car, they're right on us," he recalled, describing the armed men pointing guns out of their vehicle's windows.

Fear gripped Hoffman as the pursuit intensified. "They were holding their guns out the window. They hadn't started shooting at us yet, but I said, 'Open the windows. We're going to throw the cash out the window.'"

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

However, the men were determined to catch Hoffman, and a wild car chase ensued. "But we got in this car chase like you'd see in the movies, man," Hoffman said. "We just kept right in front of them. And my driver got us away."

Hoffman's driver, Vicky, exhibited exceptional driving skills, navigating through treacherous terrain and outmaneuvering the pursuers. "Vicky got us away," Hoffman said.

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

"Vicky somehow busted a right, busted a left, busted a right and then somehow they got stuck and we got away. And then we went into this guy's garage. We put the car in there because they were roaming around."

Hoffman and his team managed to escape their pursuers, but the harrowing experience left a lasting impact. "Like in the movies, you look out, and they drive by, and you're like, 'Oh my gosh. These guys are trying to get this money. I mean, they're trying to – they'll kill us. They don't care,'" Hoffman said.

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

Despite the danger, Hoffman didn't abandon his pursuit of gold in Guyana. "We would almost die there probably once a week. Somebody would almost die," he said. Reflecting on his time in the jungle, Hoffman admitted that the most dangerous escapades were often omitted from "Gold Rush."

"The things I did in the jungle were just – they didn't put them on camera because it was too freaky," he said. "It was like sad, like dangerous sad."

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

Hoffman acknowledged that running his family-owned gold mining business posed challenges beyond the actual mining. "The biggest challenge is just putting it all together and then trying to get down into that gold," he said. "You're on properties that have been mined for 110 years, 120 years."

"You have to strip through a lot of ice, or you have to move a lot of dirt because the gold sinks, and it gets down there on that bedrock," he added.

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

Throughout his mining adventures, Hoffman has encountered unusual sights, providing glimpses into the past. "A lot of people don't believe in the great flood," he noted. "But like every time we dig down in there, all you see is evidence of the great flood."

"You just see a lot of weird stuff, man," Hoffman said, recalling frozen ground squirrels, Levi's zippers, and artifacts uncovering a hidden past. "I found a caribou antler deeper than I've ever found one. It was really deep. It was so deep that I would like to get it tested because it's an old, old caribou."

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle

Hoffman's mining experiences have also revealed evidence of a warmer past climate. "I dug up a pine – like a tree that grows in more tropical climates," he said, referring to an excavation in Canada. "You have the big debate about global warming and this, that and the other. But I dug up a tree that only grows … and the whole pit started to smell like pine."

Hoffman's family-run operation, "Hoffman Family Gold," now airs on Discovery, chronicling their adventures in a gold-rich mine in Alaska. As Hoffman reflects on his extensive career in gold mining, he remains passionate about the pursuit, despite the hardships he has faced.

Gold Rush Star's Harrowing Escape: Chased by Armed Men for $12,000 in the Guyanese Jungle