Bank Robbery Suspect Caught After Wild Chase

A suspected bank robber fleeing police in a 90 mph chase drove over lawns and through barriers Wednesday until he crashed into another car, injuring an Altadena man, and careened into the staircase of a shopping mall.

Police captured the suspect, identified as Robert Wayne Brewer, 40, who suffered only minor injuries. The other man, Matt North, 37, was being treated for chest injuries at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

The incident began about 3:30 p.m. when a teller at a Wells Fargo Bank on Honolulu Avenue in Glendale called 911 to report that she overheard a man asking a teller nearby to hand over money, said Sgt. Rick Young, a police spokesman.

Police arrived as the robber fled out the back door and drove away, Young said.

Police chased the robber at high speed into Oak Circle Drive, where the suspect--realizing his escape was blocked--wheeled his car through nearby bushes, tore over lawns, drove over a low wall and sped through a red light into the intersection of Oceanview Boulevard and Broadview Drive, where his car struck North’s, police said.

Brewer’s Camaro then careened into a shopping center on the corner and crashed into a staircase.

Police seized a pellet gun they said looked like a large-caliber handgun from Wayne’s car, as well as a decorated gift bag full of money, much of it in small bills, Young said.