A midafternoon bank robbery on Indianapolis' north side turned into a short pursuit and a K9 takedown Wednesday, ending with a suspect in custody and on his way to the hospital, police said.
Staff at a BMO branch on North Shadeland Avenue called the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department just before 2:50 p.m. to report a robbery. Officers quickly spotted a vehicle matching the suspect description and began a pursuit that stretched roughly three miles toward the Fishers-Indianapolis line.
How the chase unfolded
According to IMPD officers, the reported robbery at the north-side BMO branch led them to a male suspect who fled in a vehicle and refused initial commands to get out, authorities told WISH-TV. The chase ended near 96th Street and Hague Road, about three miles north of the bank at the Fishers-Indianapolis line, where an IMPD K9 was deployed and engaged the suspect.
Fishers police assisted with the stop at the city line. Authorities say the suspect was bitten during the apprehension and was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. Investigators also told media that the FBI has been notified about the case.
Federal angle
Bank robberies involving federally insured institutions fall under federal jurisdiction, and the U.S. Department of Justice notes that investigative responsibility for bank robbery is commonly vested in the FBI under Title 18, Section 2113 of the U.S. Code, the Justice Department says. That federal role likely explains why local authorities looped in the FBI while IMPD and partner agencies continued the on-the-ground investigation.
