Alleged Dana Point Bank Robber Found Dead After Chase, Standoff In Santa Margarita
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA (CBSLA) - A man suspected of being the Leatherface Bandit led authorities on a chase Friday that ended with a crash in Rancho Santa Margarita, where a standoff ensued.
Police eventually found the suspect dead inside of the vehicle. The cause of death was not immediately released.
According to FBI Special Agent Chris Gicking, the pursuit ensued after the suspect robbed a Pacific Western Bank branch at 34180 Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point about 3:40 p.m.
The pursuit ended at Avenida De Las Banderas and Avenida Empresa in Rancho Santa Margarita after the suspect when the suspect crashed the white pickup truck he was driving, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
As police gathered at the scene, the suspect refused to exit the vehicle leading to a standoff.
It was later determined that the suspect was already dead inside the vehicle and investigators later determined he might have taken his own life, authorities said.
The suspect was believed to be the Leatherface Bandit, who has been linked to holdups in Yorba Linda on April 9 and two more on March 8 and 9 in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, Gicking said.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
