Robber Escapes on Foot After High-Speed Chase

An unidentified strong-arm robber led police on a high-speed chase through two cities, leaving a trail of wrecked patrol cars in his wake before escaping on foot.

The incident began when a clothing-store employee was accosted by the man as she attempted to deposit a bag containing about $2,000 in cash in a night drop box at Security Pacific National Bank on Stanton Avenue in Buena Park.

The employee, Sherrie Paul of Yorba Linda, told police that the man grabbed her about 9:45 p.m. Saturday, then grabbed the bag, jumped into his car and took off. Security officers at nearby Knott’s Berry Farm saw the incident and launched a pursuit, notifying Buena Park police officers by radio.

A Buena Park patrol car took over the pursuit and the two cars sped down Lincoln Avenue until they reached Holder Street. “The crook turned on Holder,” Police Lt. Don Martin said. “We almost turned on Holder.”

The pursuing officer reported that his car had brake failure and slammed into the curb, destroying the vehicle’s undercarriage.

The suspect continued on and was spotted several minutes later by another Buena Park officer, who sped after him. The chase, by this time at speeds of up to 90 m.p.h., made its way back to Lincoln Avenue, as far down as Walker Street. There, the patrol car crashed into a parked car, a fully restored 1965 Cadillac. Both vehicles “more or less bought the farm,” Martin said.

And the suspect continued on--into neighboring Cypress, where a Buena Park officer spotted him parking his car in a parking lot and taking off on foot. A Cypress patrol car took on the chase, hotly pursuing the running man until the car slammed into a fence, Martin said.

“They lost the guy. He’s in the wind,” Martin said of the suspect, described as about 5 feet, 9 inches, 21 years old, of medium build, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Meanwhile, the car he was driving was found to be stolen and contained a stolen gun. “It was a BMW. A 733T, I think,” Martin said. “Let’s put it this way: it’s a really fast BMW.”