3 Bank Robbery Suspects Held After Crash

Three bank robbery suspects fleeing from police were arrested after they crashed their stolen car into a traffic signal at Beach Boulevard and Stark Street Tuesday, police said.

Arrested were Tommie Lee Evans, 41; Denmark David Requena, 23, and Tonji Knight, 29, all of Los Angeles, said Police Lt. Jeff Cope.

Evans and Requena allegedly walked into the Citibank at 7552 Edinger Ave. at 3:35 p.m. and robbed the bank at gunpoint of an undisclosed amount of money.

A short time later, police spotted them traveling north on Parkside Lane in a car being driven by Knight, police said.

Officers tried to stop the car but the suspects sped way and led police on a chase on the southbound San Diego Freeway from Beach Boulevard to Magnolia Street, police said. They got off the freeway and were attempting to turn left onto Stark Street when they hit the traffic signal, Cope said.

Knight complained of pain and was taken to Humana Hospital-Huntington Beach. She was released and booked into jail.

The bank robbery was reportedly part of a daylong crime spree for the three, police said.

The brown Chevrolet Blazer in which they were traveling had been reported stolen at gunpoint from its owner in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. Also, shortly before the bank robbery, the three are suspected of robbing a Huntington Beach man of his wallet at gunpoint, Cope said.

They put in Huntington Beach City Jail where they are each being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.