Bank Robbery Suspects Led Cops On High-Speed Chase
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A trio of suspected bank robbers led police officers from several agencies on a two county high-speed chase which came to a crashing end in northern Miami-Dade County on the Gratigny Parkway.
Coral Springs police spokesman Lt. Joe McHugh said officers began to chase the three males after they pulled off an armed robbery of a SunTrust bank branch at 9501 Wiles Road.
The FBI said two of the suspects walked into the bank around 10 a.m. and demanded money from a teller, after they robbed a customer of his bank deposit on their way in.
Coral Springs police were already on their way to the bank after they received a tip from a UPS driver who "was alerted immediately when he saw all the suspects jump out of the car at the same time, leaving all the doors open," said Sgt. Carla Mertes.
Surveillance pictures inside the bank showed a man with a bandanna, sunglasses and a gun and another man who carried a plastic bag.
After being given an undisclosed amount of cash by the teller the two men ran out of the bank and jumped into a stolen car where the third suspect was waiting for them.
Officers chased their silver Dodge south on I-75.
It all came to an end on NW 119th Street and NW 32nd Avenue when the trio bailed of their car after they hit several other vehicles.
"I just seen a bunch of cop cars and I couldn't even pull over because the semi in front of me, and there was van next to me," said Derek Mendez, a driver hit by the fleeing felons while in traffic. "All of a sudden I just got smacked."
Two suspects were quickly taken into custody by arriving officers; the third jumped a fence and tried to run into a nearby warehouse area but was taken down before he could reach it.
"They were considered very dangerous and if they continued on, who knows what could have happened," said FBI Special Agent David Beall.
Police say the trio is suspected in at least five other bank robberies in Broward.
