A bank robbery suspect who led officers on a high speed pursuit has been identified by FBI agents as 61 year old Thomas Edward Lavelle.
Investigators say Lavelle robbed a Bank of America branch on Carmel Mountain Road on Friday shortly after 5 in the evening. Officers spotted the suspects silver Honda civic minutes later as the vehicle headed south on interstate 15 at speeds over 90 miles per hour.
What happened over the next 45 minutes can only be described as a chase of near misses and dangerous turns. The Honda tried to avoid police by taking surface streets and highways including the 52 and 163 as the driver tried desperately to get away. At times, the driver made u-turns on streets and highways during rush hour traffic, heading into oncoming traffic. "Even if he's going 60 mph and someone's going 60 towards him, the closing speed is 120 mph, not many people are going to survive something like that,"said Sgt. Jorge Leon.
San Diego Police officers tried several times to throw out spike stripes to disable the tires, but the Honda swerved out of the way. Finally, officers were able to use a strip to blow out the front left tire, slowing the Honda down. At that point, the Honda was heading on the southbound on ramp at 163 from Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.
A CHP officer crept up behind the Honda as it headed onto the freeway and performed a PIT maneuver, or pursuit intervention technique. The officer clipped the rear end of the Honda, spinning it into ice plants. "Where we were able to bring the vehicle to a stop and take the individual into custody without injuring anybody," said acting CHP Sgt. Terry Prollini.
The license plate on the Honda had a sticker, concealing the number. Officers also found a handgun in the front, near the gas pedal. NBC 7/39 reporter Tony Shin spoke to the suspect after the arrest and asked him if he robbed the bank. The driver responded, "No." He then asked why police were chasing him. The driver simply responded,"I don't know."
Thomas Edward Lavelle faces several charges including robbery and evading police. San Diego Police Sgt. Jorge Leon had this to say about what Lavelle was wearing. "I've got to say in 30 years, I've never seen a suspect wear a tie to a robbery."
