SWAT officers peacefully ended a standoff Wednesday afternoon with a suspected bank robber who led police on a chase from Colleyville to Arlington.[[351448601,R]]
At about 12:30 p.m., officers with guns drawn positioned themselves behind the doors of their patrol vehicles during a standoff with a driver in Arlington suspected of robbing a Bank of America branch in Colleyville earlier in the day.
Robert Hinton, Assistant Chief of Police in Colleyville, told NBC 5 that at 11:40 a.m. a man entered the Bank of America on Texas 26 and gave a teller a note that said he had a gun and wanted money.
The teller turned over the cash and the man ran out, got in a nearby vehicle and drove away. Moments later Colleyville officers spotted a vehicle traveling at a high speed that matched the description of the vehicle at the bank.
Please avoid the area of 600 SE Green Oak Blvd. as an unfolding incident with possible bank robbery suspect initiated by Colleyville Police
— Arlington Police, TX (@ArlingtonPD) November 18, 2015Along the way the driver ignored stop signs and red lights, at times driving in the wrong direction, while attempting to evade police. Grand Prairie police officers deployed stop sticks, which disabled at least one of the tires on the SUV.
Initiating lock down of @ArlingtonISD Ferguson Jr High due to high risk traffic stop initiated by Colleyville Police @IrvingPD @EulessPolice
— Arlington Police, TX (@ArlingtonPD) November 18, 2015
The man continued to drive, leading at least a half-dozen marked police cars into Arlington where he eventually slowed to a stop on the 600 block of Southeast Green Oaks Boulevard, in front of Ferguson Education Center.
Arlington SWAT officers arrived with two armored vehicles shortly after 1 p.m. and continued to negotiate the man's surrender. A short time later, the man exited the SUV and surrendered to police.
Police sources said the man, whose name has not yet been released, is believed to have lived in the area according to the vehicle's registration information.
Lt. Christopher Cook, with the Arlington Police Department, said a family member of the driver helped negotiate the surrender.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Due to the proximity of the standoff to the school, 500 students were advised to shelter in place as the campus was locked down as a precaution. After the driver was taken into custody the lock down was lifted.
Whether or not the driver was armed has not yet been confirmed by police.
Southeast Green Oaks Boulevard, which had been closed in both directions between Matlock Road and Collins Street, is expected to soon be reopened to traffic.
Arlington police said Colleyville police will be investigating the chase while the FBI is investigating the bank robbery.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.NBC 5's Scott Gordon, Don Peritz,Tim Ciesco and Johnny Archer contributed to this report.
