Pursuit Of Illinois Bank Robber Ends In Weld County With Suspect's Death

PIERCE, Colo. (CBS4) -- A man suspected of robbing a bank in Illinois and driving a vehicle stolen out of Iowa was spotted and chased by Colorado law enforcement Sunday before he ran off the road north of Pierce. Hours later, he was found dead there.

The Weld County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the driver of the vehicle fired gun shots while outside the vehicle, but it does not explain if the police fired at the driver, if the driver wounds were self-inflicted, or if the driver suffered any gun shot wounds or other trauma.

A sergeant with the Colorado State Patrol and an officer with the Ault Police Department discovered the stolen vehicle near the intersection of State Highway 14 and Weld County Road 49. They chased the vehicle westbound into Ault where suspect turned north on U.S. Highway 85.

Police radio traffic described the pursuit reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour as it went through the town of Pierce. Then, shortly after the crash was reported at 2:03 p.m., officers declared shots had been fired. By whom, however, was not clear.

Per Weld County, its SWAT team responded and found the suspect dead next to the vehicle.

Weld County's press release also indicated the suspect may be related to a homicide that occurred in Illinois.