Police Chase Down Five Men Suspected in Brea Bank Robbery

Five men were arrested Friday in Brea after a robbery at a Wells Fargo bank and a police pursuit of apartment complexes and an elementary school.

A motorcycle officer suffered minor injuries when he crashed during the pursuit, said Brea Police Lt. Martin Needham. Still, the officer managed to capture one suspect after chasing him over numerous block walls. A second suspect was detained at the crash scene.

A third suspect was cornered by police dogs in an apartment he had broken into to escape, police said. The man was bitten by one of the dogs and treated for minor injuries by paramedics at the Brea City Jail, Needham said.

A fourth man was caught after running onto the Country Hills Elementary School campus while classes were in session, he said. The last suspect was arrested during a search of the area, police said.

The men are suspected of holding up the bank branch on South State College Boulevard at 2:45 p.m., then fleeing in a sports utility vehicle.

Brea police officers spotted the vehicle about a mile from the bank. The vehicle crashed during a brief chase and its occupants scattered.