Crime & Safety

Update: Bank Robber Still at Large Following High-Speed Pursuit

Police say they shot one of two suspects because he pointed a replica gun at a deputy, and they released a second suspect after determining he wasn't the man they were looking for.

Police believe they may have arrested the wrong man following a four-hour hunt for the suspect in a series of Orange County bank robberies, including the US Bank in Seal Beach.

The robbery of a grocery store Wells Fargo led to a high-speed pursuit from Placentia to Paramount yesterday, where a pair of suspects ditched their car and fled on foot. Police shot one of the suspects, 27 year-old Paul Acosta of Los Angeles, and five hours later arrested a second man. However, they later released him after concluding that he had no involvement in the robberies. The remaining suspect is still at large.

Placentia police pursued the suspects, following them west on the Riverside (91) Freeway, Eimiller said. According to a broadcast report, the pursuit reached speeds around 100 mph and came to an end when the vehicle crashed into a curb. The shooting apparently happened when the suspects' vehicle came to a stop about 2:45 p.m. in Paramount.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Los Angeles County Deputies from the Lakewood station set up a containment to locate the suspects when it was discovered the suspects fled the vehicle near the 8000 block of Denbo Street, said sheriff's Deputy Benjamin Grubb.

``During the search on the 8100 block of Century Boulevard, a deputy saw the suspect holding a handgun and told him to put it down,'' Grubb said. ``The suspect did not comply and instead turned with the weapon pointed at the deputy, who fired his duty weapon at the suspect, striking him,'' Grubb said.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

``The suspect's handgun was recovered and revealed to be a replica,'' Grubb said.  

No officers or deputies were hurt, adding that the weapon turned out to be a replica that was used in the bank holdup, said Placentia police Detective
Corinne Loomis. The suspect was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition.

A large police perimeter at the shooting scene lasted four hours, and ended with the arrest of a man believed by deputies to be one of the bank robbers. But that man was eventually released.

It was ``later determined that the man had no involvement with the incident,'' Grubb said.

FBI investigators believe it was the so-called ``Market Duo'' bandits held up the Wells Fargo branch inside a Stater Bros. grocery store at 1111 Imperial Highway in Placentia, about 2:15 p.m. Thursday, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. They are believed to have held up the same bank branch Nov. 21, she added.

The Market Duo bandits are also suspected of robbing the U.S. Bank branch at 1101 Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach on Nov. 3 and a U.S. Bank branch at 2101 W. Imperial Highway in La Habra on Oct. 25, according to FBI Special Agent Chris Gicking.

- City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.