Police Capture Suspects in Robbery After Chase

A married couple later charged with robbing a Tustin savings and loan led police on a high-speed chase through three cities before they were corralled by a helicopter and six squad cars in Anaheim Hills on Tuesday.

Steve Ratliff, 32, and his wife, Debra, 25, of Las Vegas allegedly stole $600 from Citicorp Savings, 18232 Irvine Blvd.

Police said a man, who claimed to be armed but never displayed a weapon, entered the savings and loan shortly before noon and demanded cash. A teller alerted police with a silent alarm.

An off-duty Tustin officer, who heard the alarm on a police radio, saw a man run out of the bank and chased him on foot for a short distance, according to Tustin Police Sgt. Brent Zicarelli.

The man got into a two-door blue Oldsmobile, and the car, driven by a woman, sped away, Zicarelli said. Tustin police gave chase with the assistance of officers from Orange, Anaheim and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Officers in six cars and a helicopter pursued the car at speeds up to 70 m.p.h. on and off the Costa Mesa Freeway, according to Zicarelli. The car was finally cut off by police at Santa Ana Canyon Road and Imperial Highway in Anaheim Hills.

Ratliff and his wife were then arrested without incident, Zicarelli said. Police recovered $600 in cash, but no weapons. Bail was set at $50,000 each for the couple, who are being held in Orange County Jail.