JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The man accused of robbing a bank on 103rd Street and leading Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers on a high-speed chase Wednesday afternoon has now been arrested.
The chase ended when the suspect's vehicle crashed into a pickup truck carrying a grandfather and his young granddaughter, then a JSO patrol car hit the back of the suspect's car to prevent him from backing up, causing major damage to the squad car.
It’s a sound witness Anthony Boyle said he’ll never forget.
“Steel impact – the two vehicles hitting each other. There's a few sounds that make your hair stand up on your arm. This was definitely one," he described.
Boyle said, being just feet away, he was able to see the blur of the white car before the impact.
“I'd seen pieces of it flying 15-20 foot off the side of the road," he said. "I probably guess the white car was doing at least a good 50 or 60 mph when he got the median. He caught a little bit of air when he hit the median.”
A video Boyle took on his cellphone shows JSO officers with guns drawn yelling commands, and eventually taking the suspect into custody.
Police had responded to an armed bank robbery call at VyStar Credit Union in the 7700 block of 103rd Street around 4:30 p.m., according to a JSO press briefing. The suspect went into the bank with a gun and demanded money, police said. The employees at the bank complied with the suspect's demands, and the robbery ended without any injuries.
Officers were arriving on the scene as the suspect was making his getaway, police said. Officers also recognized the vehicle the suspect was getting into was reported stolen earlier in the day.
The suspect drove away from the scene westbound on 103rd Street with officers from the JSO in pursuit. The suspect weaved in and out of traffic, including crossing over into oncoming traffic, police said. The suspect also fired a gun at police as they pursued him, according to JSO.
In the 9400 block of 103rd Street, the suspect's vehicle collided head on with the pickup truck. JSO confirmed the granddaughter involved in the crash is a child.
First responders took the suspect, the grandfather and granddaughter who were in the truck and a police officer to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
103rd Street near the crash scene were closed for the investigation causing heavy backup for hours both eastbound and westbound. All lanes have since reopened.
The case remains under investigation by the JSO Robbery Unit, Crime Scene Unit, Traffic Homicide Unit and the FBI.