Phoenix Police stop rifle-wielding bank robber with ‘grappler’ during I-17 getaway

A bank robber armed with an AR-style rifle held up a Chase Bank in Phoenix on Monday. He was caught following a police pursuit north of the city, the FBI said

The robbery occurred around 12:30 p.m. at the bank near 27th Street and Camelback Road, according to the FBI’s Phoenix field office.

The suspect fired one shot into the ceiling before fleeing in a small box truck with an undisclosed amount of cash.

A Phoenix Police Department air unit tracked the vehicle until a K-9 unit deployed a “Grappler” device to stop the truck on Interstate 17, about 15 minutes north of Anthem.

The suspect was taken into custody without incident. His name was not released, while he awaits his initial appearance in federal court.

“(The criminal case will) go federal because he brandished a weapon and actually fired a round off, so that makes it a federal offense,” FBI spokesperson Kevin Smith told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “A U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI will handle that.”

No one was injured during the incident.

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