Suspect arrested in Las Vegas bank heists after chase

Police arrested a man in a series of Las Vegas bank robberies after a brief car chase Saturday.

Las Vegas police were responding to an attempted robbery about 10:37 a.m. at the Bank of America in the 5900 block of West Sahara Ave., near South Jones Boulevard, when they received reports of another robbery at a nearby Wells Fargo.

The second bank robbery happened about 10:48 a.m., in the 1000 block of South Rainbow Boulevard, near Charleston Boulevard. According to Lt. Michael Wallace, the suspect and vehicle matched police descriptions from the first robbery.

Police were then called to a third robbery attempt about 11:04 a.m. at a U.S. Bank in the 2500 block of South Rainbow, near Sahara.

While investigating the robberies in the tight geographic area, Wallace said, police saw a vehicle and driver matching the descriptions of the suspect.

They tried to stop the car in traffic when the vehicle fled and a multi-unit pursuit began. The chase ended at the intersection of Karen Avenue and Paradise Road, when the driver tried to make a U-turn to avoid hitting a semi-truck and collided with a pursuing police vehicle.

The suspect, who wasn’t immediately identified, was surrounded and arrested about 11:30 a.m.

It is unclear how much money was taken from the Wells Fargo, but police believe the first and third robberies were unsuccessful.

According to police, no injuries resulted from the robberies or pursuit.

Contact reporter Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0391.