Nov 3, 2008 4:37 pm US/Pacific
Bank Robbery Suspect Leads O.C. Police Chase
LAGUNA HILLS (CBS) ―
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Sheriff's officials don't recognize the suspected bank robber from any previous robberies.
WCBS
A Sheriff's enforcement team followed a man they found suspicious out of a Laguna Hills bank Monday and soon found themselves on a high-speed chase for an alleged bank robber, a sheriff's spokesman said.
The suspect, a male Caucasian whose name and age were not released, walked into the Wachovia bank at 25632 Alicia Parkway a little before noon, said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
The man handed a "demand" note to a teller but ran out without getting any money.
This guy is an unknown bank robber," Amormino said. "All bank robbers have names like the 'Chatty Bandit' and the 'Big-Eared bandit', names they acquire after they rob two banks or more. At this time, this guy is an unknown...but he may have robbed banks (that we don't know about)."
On his way out, "something didn't look right" to the sheriff's enforcement team patrolling south Orange County in the wake of a 50 percent surge in the county's number of bank robberies.
The man got into his pickup truck and led the team, other units, and a sheriff's helicopter on a high-speed chase north on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway at speeds up to 100 mph, Amormino said.
The suspect exited on Jamboree Road in an industrial area, Amormino said. He soon jumped out of the truck and was caught while he fled on foot.
The demand notes was recovered but the FBI is looking for a possible weapon. Amormino said the suspect would likely be booked in the Santa Ana Jail and be prosecuted by federal authorities.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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