Countywide : Robbery Suspect Dies After Freeway Chase

A suspected bank robber died Tuesday afternoon after leading police on a 120-m.p.h. chase from Costa Mesa to Mission Viejo that ended in an off-ramp crash.

The man, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was pronounced dead at 1:40 p.m. at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo.

A hospital spokesman said the suspect had apparently shot himself in the chin during the chase. It was not clear, however, whether the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or from injuries sustained in the crash.

Police would not confirm that the man shot himself.

The man is suspected of robbing a First Interstate Bank, at 3039 Harbor Blvd., of $2,000, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. John Fitzpatrick.

After the 12:47 p.m. robbery, a Costa Mesa police helicopter spotted the suspect driving a stolen 1986 Porsche on the southbound San Diego Freeway.

A high-speed pursuit, which involved two Costa Mesa police cars, continued onto southbound Interstate 5 before the man got off the freeway at the La Paz Road exit. The man crashed the car shortly after exiting the freeway.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and there were no other injuries, Fitzpatrick said.