A suspected bank robber was found dead inside a Chase bank in Colton after an officer was injured during a suspected attempted robbery Tuesday, police said. The exact circumstance of the injury is still unclear.
Police responded to an attempted robbery at a Chase bank location in the 2000 block of East Washington Street, where a suspected robber shot at an officer three times, according to the police helicopter over the scene.
The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police on the ground said. He was being treated at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
All bank employees were accounted for, with only the suspected armed robber believed to still be inside the bank, police said.
A window at the Chase bank appeared to be damaged and looked like it may have been struck by gunfire. A heavy police presence was visible, surrounding the bank as of 7:25 p.m.
Officers had guns pointed at the entrance of the bank, and police established a barricade to keep the gunman inside.
Families were escorted to safety, and others remained sheltered for more than two hours inside stores.
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"We were scared, I have my eight-year-old daughter with me," Tiana Phipps, a woman who was shopping for groceries at the time, said.
Around 9 p.m., a SWAT team moved into the bank and found a dead man who was believed to be the suspected robber, police said. They added that he most likely killed himself.
In addition, a bag was found inside the bank, and the bomb squad was on the scene investigating the bag.
