BRUCE - One bank robbery suspect is dead after exchanging gunfire Friday with pursuing Rusk County sheriff's deputies, another suspect is in custody and a third is on the run.
Authorities reported that one of the suspects drove into Rusk County after fleeing the scene of a robbery at about 2:30 p.m. Friday at Dairyland State Bank in Exeland, in southern Sawyer County.
Officers pursued the sedan-type vehicle before theycollided with it about a mile west of Bruce, ending the chase. The man then reportedly shot at the officers, who returned fire.
"Allegedly shots were fired toward the officers," said Rusk County Sheriff David Kaminski. "They returned fire. The suspect was found dead in his vehicle."
The Rusk County coroner later confirmed the death of the man, who was not identified.
The Barron County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting, as it is standard practice to have a neutral agency investigate a police shooting.
Lt. Kurt Barthel of the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department said investigation into the robbery was still ongoing and did not give many details about the crime.
After the robbery, an officer from the Birchwood Police Department spotted the suspected getaway vehicle and pursued it. Two people fled from the vehicle in the Deer Lake area of southern Sawyer County, and the officer chased them on foot and took one into custody, Barthel reported.
The arrested suspect, whose name was not released, was taken to the Sawyer County Jail.
The other suspect who had left the vehicle fled on foot into the woods in the Deer Lake area, and a search by the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department and other departments continued into the night.
"We have no idea for sure whether he's armed, but we are considering him armed and dangerous right now," Barthel said.
Barthel said the search area is a sparsely populated and heavily wooded region near the border between Rusk and Sawyer counties.
After the two people fled from the vehicle, the third suspect drove south into Rusk County, where he died in the gunfight.
Friday's robbery was the sixth in a series of bank heists that have hit west-central Wisconsin this month, but it marked the first time a suspect has been taken into custody. Other robberies this month:
n Oct. 8, Eau Claire.
n Oct. 9, Hudson.
n Oct. 14, Ridgeland.
n Oct. 21, Elk Mound.
n Thursday, Eau Claire.
Eau Claire police Deputy Chief Eric Larson said after Thursday's robbery in Eau Claire there was no reason to believe the heists were the work of the same perpetrators.
Thursday's robbery occurred shortly after noon at Citizens Community Federal, 2125 Cameron St. Two men in their early 20s approached bank tellers and asked for money, threatening tellers with a silver handgun. Both men fled the scene on foot.
Kaminski said he wasn't sure whether Friday's robbery was connected with the other incidents.
"We don't know," Kaminski said about a possible connection. "That's being looked into."
CowBoy
Great Job on the police work! Two bad the others got away, More money us tax payers will have to pay to take care of these low life scum bags, All for captial Punsihment, than maybe they will think twice about doing a crime, Like Willy Nelson sang, "Hang em all in the streets for all the people to see",
Branchman 49
Great Job Pete Weatherhead from the Birchwood Police Dept. While it may be too bad that the economy has hurt people, let's not assume that is the case here. There is never a good reason to bring a gun into a small town bank - threaten the employee's lives and then to recklessly drive and shoot at law enforcement. We are fortunate to have area law enforcement that will go the extra mile to PROTECT innnocent folks. If someone has a gun when they rob me, or take shots at me from a car, my response will have nothing to do with the state of the economy. Great job local law enforcement!
BabaLooey
Great Police work, plus they saved us taxpayers some money. We will have to incarcerate only two scum-bags. Maybe we will get lucky and the POS on the run ends up assuming room temperature also.
jkatze
btw, I made a comment on WEAU's website pointing out the presence of the ambulance as seen in the photo's. I commented that EMT's are also valuable members of the teams that we all rely on for safety and help. That comment did not make it past the WEAU censors. Interesting. I wonder what the agenda is over there.
jkatze
I'll grant that the use of terms such as 'dirtbag' is harsh and Mayjay's sensitivity and objection is a good reaction. However, having said that, justa' makes the point that we have choices and options in life. MANY of us have had losses and major changes due to the economic collapse. We are not out robbing banks. I have a hunch that this is another case of suicide by cop. The man killed had to have known how this would end when he fired at police. I'm with Observer. It's very possible the deputies saved lives by ending chase where they did.
GrampaRick
One down, two to go.
justanotherredneck
To mayjay, yes these people must have been desparate, but there are many options to seek out before robbing a bank. The tellers and others working at the bank ,or any other business that is robbed, can get very traumatized and be affected by this for the rest of their lives. Have you ever looked down the barrel of a gun pointed at you by someone deemed desparate? The rash of robberies in the last month (unsolved) may lead some one, who is desparate, to think they could get away with it, but very few do. Hopefully, these latest robberies are resolved quickly so less desparate people even consider this an option.
Observer
Economic problems are not an excuse for anyone to be robbing banks. Sorry, but I will not buy into that one. I have absolutely NO sympathy for any of the suspects including the one that is deceased. They had many opportunities to end this peacefully and made the decision not to. Law enforcement made a GOOD decision to end the threat before it entered the City of Bruce, and in effect may have saved the lives of more innocent bystanders. Great job by all law enforcement involved!
regismvp
It is sad! But thank God for BUFORD T. JUSTICE.....because Eau Claire area law enforcement cant catch a cold!!! Hope this was the guy responsible... But again I sure hope it was not all done because of economics:(((
mayjay1
This is so sad. Someone dies and without knowing the whole story he is called a dirtbag. The econmoy is hitting us all in different ways. These people must have been desparate for some money to rob a bank. Yes, it was wrong but, who are you to judge??
five-o
One less dirtbag society has to worry about. Good work gentlemen. Good work.
five-o
This is why you don't rob a bank, don't try to run away like a coward, and don't shoot at the police. One less dirtbag for the rest of society to worry about. Good work gentlemen. Good work.