A man has been taken into custody Monday night after allegedly robbing a Chandler bank earlier in the day and leading police on a chase around the Valley, Chandler Police Sgt. Joseph Favazzo said.
The man demanded an undisclosed amount of money from a teller at National Bank of Arizona located on Chandler Boulevard and Kyrene Road and left the scene in a purple Chrysler Sebring, Favazzo said.
Within minutes, officers tried to make a traffic stop and continued to chase the vehicle, Favazzo said.
The suspect fired several rounds at officers and officers returned fire, Favazzo said. A few police cars were hit but nobody was hurt, he said.
Favazzo said the man lead the chase westbound on the 1-10 to 7th Avenue. He then looped back through Phoenix, past Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport all the way to Mill Avenue in Tempe.
The man got out of his car behind the P.F. Changs on Mill Avenue and University Drive and walked to the AMC Centerpoint 11 movie theater, Favazzo said. He asked the ticket seller at the theater about the movies when officers arrived at the scene.
As officers walked toward him, the man shoved some of the stolen money at the ticket seller and tried to flee, but was taken into custody without incident, Favazzo said.
Chandler police, Phoenix police, Tempe police, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were all involved in the chase, Favazzo said.
"This is a violent criminal offender," Favazzo said. "He lead officers into a chase and acted with absolute disregard to anyone around him."
UPDATE: Car chase suspect taken into custody in downtown #Tempe - http://t.co/E3iiyrM6u4 pic.twitter.com/z0Mg3byTbD
— KTAR News (@KTAR923) August 24, 2015
Update from @ChandlerPolice Sgt. Joe Favazzo giving more info on bank robbery/pursuit suspect who shot at officers pic.twitter.com/JJxcCBxHuN
— Michael Pooley (@LtMikePooley) August 25, 2015
Update from @ChandlerPolice Sgt. Joe Favazzo giving more info on bank robbery/pursuit suspect who shot at officers pic.twitter.com/JJxcCBxHuN
— Michael Pooley (@LtMikePooley) August 25, 2015
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