UPDATE: At 11:30 a.m., Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said in a tweet that the suspect is in custody.
Check back for more details as they become available.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies are trying to locate a suspected bank robber this morning (Oct. 28) after a car chase ended in High Ridge and shots were fired, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
Bissell said First State Community Bank, 4555 Old Hwy. 21, in Imperial was robbed this morning, and the suspect fled the area.
Deputies spotted and began pursuing the vehicle they believe the suspected robber used to flee the bank. The car chase traveled west on Hwy. 30. A man got out of the vehicle near the Waldon Pond Apartments, 1911 Walden Lane, Bissell said.
After the man got out of the vehicle, gunshots were fired. Bissell said it was unclear who fired the shots. No injuries have been reported because of the gunshots.
Authorities are currently searching for the suspect near the apartment complex. They ask anyone in the area to remain in their homes while the investigation continues, Bissell said.
This is the second robbery at the Imperial bank in the past week. The first was the morning of Oct. 24. That robbery occurred at about 10:35 a.m., when a man entered First State Community Bank and allegedly gave a teller a note demanding money. He then asked a teller to put money in the bag, Bissell said. The man then took the bag and note and left the building through the front doors. He got into a silver or gray vehicle and fled north on Old Hwy. 21, Bissell said.
Bissell said the Sheriff’s Office does not report how much money is stolen during robberies. He also said the Sheriff’s Office did not have information about what was written on the note or if the man threatened the teller.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide a physical description of the suspect from the Oct. 24 robbery or the man deputies are currently trying to locate.