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ST. GEORGE — A man accused of holding hostages during an armed bank robbery is dead, police said.
Around 1:45 p.m., a robbery occurred at Zions Bank at 717 S. River Road, during which a robber took two hostages, both women, police said. The robber escaped in a vehicle, taking the women with him, and police began a pursuit. Within a couple of minutes, the man stopped and exited the car, fleeing on foot into a wooded area along the Virgin River. The hostages fled the vehicle at that point.
The man fired several shots at police as they pursued him, striking several police vehicles but not injuring anyone, Lewis said.
Using a helicopter and searching on foot, police located the man hiding in the brush and exchanged fire with him.
Around 4:20 p.m., Washington City officials said the threat had been "diffused," and police later said an officer-involved shooting had occurred. Officials later said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting will be investigated by the Washington County Attorney's Office and the Washington County Critical Incident Team, which includes investigators from several agencies, while the St. George Police Department and the FBI looks into the robbery, Crouse said.
Trevor Hollands, who was working with Red Desert Tile and Stone, said he saw the chase go speeding past.
"I was just working in this house over here and came out to dump something in the Dumpster, and they pulled up so fast his hubcaps fell off the front of his car," Hollands said.
With two people taken hostage and shots fired, police were quick to alert the public to the search.
"A lot of precautionary measures were taken when we had a suspect that was presumed to be armed and dangerous out on the loose, including taking precautionary measures with the schools and neighborhoods," Washington County Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Crouse said.
During the pursuit, St. George police told residents between Washington Fields Road to 2000 South and Washington Deseret Industrial area to 1450 East in St. George to stay indoors and secure their doors.
At that time, more than a dozen schools in the area were on lockout status. After the threat had been diffused, police gave Washington County School District the go-ahead to release all students who had been held in school while the alleged robber was at-large.
Alicia Christensen, who lives two blocks from the scene where the chase ended, said she heard "many gunshots" as she waited in her home. The date, she said, was not lost on her.
"Well, I’m grateful it’s over, and I’m grateful for great law enforcement that did their jobs today, especially on today, Sept. 11," Christensen said.
Contributing: Stace Hall
