Long, winding police chase ends with robbery suspect arrest in SE Houston

  

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A high speed police chase involving a bank robbery suspect Wednesday was dangerous at times, with cops throwing out spike strips and close calls with other vehicles.

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It all started at the Trustmark Bank off the Katy Freeway and lasted for about a half hour. The chase took off on the South Loop near Kirby and went around the city, before coming back down I-45 and ending not far from where it started.

The chase came to end on Scott Street near the South Loop, where a passenger with pink polka dotted hair gave up, and the driver briefly tried to evade officers on foot before giving up peacefully.

The pursuit starting at about 12:45pm on the South Loop, then on the East Loop and North Loop before taking I-45 south, passing downtown, then exiting the freeway onto side streets in southeast Houston.

Officials deployed spike strips at least four times, trying to stop the suspect, but the driver avoided them.

The suspect was briefly stopped by traffic on I-45 in the vicinity of the University of Houston, but he evaded authorities, striking the open car door of one HPD cruiser, and later sideswiped a couple of vehicles.

The suspect was believed to be armed, having reportedly pointed a gun at a teller during a robbery at a Trustmark Bank on the Katy Freeway. Something was thrown out of the passenger's side window at one point during the chase.

"A couple of items were thrown out on the freeway," said HPD Lt. Randall Upton. "One was near the North Freeway and Lockwood. We have units over there looking. I did notice some currency inside the vehicle. At this point we're not going to touch the vehicle until we get the crime scene detectives out here."

It's not clear how much money the suspects got away with during the bank robbery.
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