Bank Robbery Suspect In Custody Following Chase, Crash In NW OKC

Police say a suspect who led them on a pursuit before crashing out in northwest Oklahoma City is the suspect in a bank robbery from earlier in the afternoon.

The robbery occurred at the Bank of America location near Quail Springs Mall. Authorities told News 9, witnesses saw the suspect, now identified as 35-year-old Drew Blanton, flee from the bank in an older model blue Dodge Ram pickup and were able to give police the tag number.

Police sent Air One to the address that the truck was registered to, near 11000 N. May, and located a vehicle matching the description. Blanton spotted the helicopter and took off, just before crashing into several unoccupied vehicles in the parking lot of the Sun & Ski Sports store, also located on N. May Ave.

“We had just parked and were walking in and all of a sudden we hear a big boom,” Mike Filson told News 9, the suspect crashed into his Lexus.

“Jumped the curb, hit my car, my car flew up in the air, spun around and hit two other cars. Needless to say we are very lucky we had just gotten out of the car within 10, 15 seconds prior to that happening,” Filson added. “Thank God we weren’t in that vehicle.”

Tyler Moulton said he had just parked his vehicle in the lot when the crash happened. Moulton and his passengers were also spared by seconds.

“It really hit me hard because my little brother was in the car,” Moulton told News 9. “And it hit right on the side that he was sitting on. So, it was pretty crazy.”

No one at the scene was hurt, besides the suspect.

Police said Blanton was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He had not been booked into the Oklahoma County Jail for this incident prior to our report.

An FBI Special Agent said original reports indicated there was a second person involved in the bank robbery, but they do not have a description or identity yet.

Federal court records show Blanton was arrested in connection with another armed robbery back in 2001.