Police Nab Bank Robbery Suspect After Bomb Threat, High-Speed Chase

Originally published 12:33 p.m. July 29.

A man who claimed to have a concealed bomb allegedly robbed an Egger Highlands credit union Monday, then led officers on a high-speed chase before being arrested in a South Bay neighborhood.

The robbery occurred about 10:15 a.m. at a Navy Federal Credit Union branch in the 500 block of Saturn Boulevard, according to San Diego police. It is the second time in the past eight months that the credit union has been targeted by a robber who claimed to have a bomb.

After handing a teller a note stating he had a bomb and getting an undisclosed amount of money, the robber walked out of the building, got into a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser and drove off, SDPD public affairs Officer Ed Zwibel said. 

No weapon was seen.

Patrol officers caught up to the suspect a short distance away, at which point he sped off, Zwibel said. The fleeing man drove on State Route 54 and various city streets, at one point throwing a hat and what looked like a paper bag out of the car on Central Avenue in the Bonita area, Zwibel said.

After about 20 minutes, the suspect wound up in Chula Vista, where he pulled over in the 400 block of Corte Calypso with officers following close behind and monitoring his movements from a police helicopter.

The suspect, described as thinly built and in his 20s,  then jumped out of the vehicle and ran into a nearby home. A short time later, he emerged wearing different clothing and walked back to the parked Chrysler. 

At that point officers took him into custody without a struggle, Zwibel said.

The suspect's name was not immediately available. Police also detained a woman in the home for questioning.

Fox5 San Diego reported that school officials locked down Liberty Elementary School in Chula Vista in response to the robbery. The alert has since been lifted.

– City News Service contributed to this report.