An armed man went on a violent crime spree Friday morning before opening fire on Arlington police several times during a chase that ended with a violent crash that seriously injured three people, police say.[[329545411,R]]
The chase began at about 11 a.m. in Arlington, nearly two hours after police said the man's crime spree began in Mansfield.
At about 9:20 a.m., an armed man robbed a Valero Gas Station on the 1200 block of Farm-to-Market Road 1187 in Mansfield and left in the clerk's dark blue Chevrolet Suburban, police said. About 40 minutes later, at about 10 a.m., a person matching that description robbed a Mansfield Wells Fargo Bank, still driving the Suburban, police said.
Not long after Mansfield police notified Arlington police of the robberies, an armed man in a blue Suburban was reported to have robbed a Bank of America on E. Pioneer Parkway in Arlington at about 10:20 a.m.
At 11 a.m., a BMW sedan was stolen at gunpoint from Moritz BMW in North Arlington by a person matching the description of the armed robber.
Arlington police said officers spotted the stolen vehicle near Cooper and Sanford streets and tried to conduct a traffic stop. The driver, police said, opened the door and began firing at officers.
Arlington police said officers returned fire and gave chase as the man drove away south on Cooper Street.
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Arlington police followed the man west onto Division Street and past the main police station. Headed west, the driver turned his vehicle around and began again firing at officers, police said. He then headed deeper into West Arlington before making another U-turn along the 2900 block of Division Street. An officer at this location fired at the driver, possibly hitting him, police said.
“This is a huge crime scene because we have so many areas where crimes occurred,” said Lt. Christopher Cook with Arlington Police.
The owner of Cycle Boss Motorsports told NBC 5's Tim Ciesco that he saw an Arlington police officer shooting at the driver from in front of his business on West Division, across the street from the Arlington Baptist College.
Police said the driver then drove the stolen BMW east on Division in the westbound lanes where he crashed into a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup truck with three people inside. The truck rolled over and came to rest near a utility pole, trapping the occupants.
"As he went by, that Dodge pickup pulled out and he just nailed it,” said witness Mike Rogers.
Arlington Chase Ends in Violent Crash Near Baptist College
Arlington firefighters worked for more than a half-hour to remove those trapped inside the truck. Once freed, two of the three occupants were transported to an area hospital in serious condition.
The driver, identified by police as 38-year-old Dylan Perry, was taken into custody at the scene before being hospitalized in serious condition, police said.
“It was amazing that no officers or innocent citizens were killed during this gunman’s violent crime spree involving two bank robberies and two carjacking offenses. I am extremely proud of the heroic actions and response by our team of officers,” said Police Chief Will Johnson in a statement. “He presented a clear danger to our community and I am thankful that our officers stopped him.”
Johnson also tweeted a photo of an Arlington police car and the stolen BMW with visible bullet holes.
Perry remains under arrest at a hospital and is expected to face several charges, police said. He is said to be in "grave" shape. Perry sustained a gunshot wound, but officers are unsure if it came from them or himself.
Division Street remained closed from about 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday while investigators cleared and processed the scene. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Arlington Police Department with the investigation into the bank robberies.
NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff, Tim Ciesco and Johnny Archer contributed to this report.
