Bartlesville Police Chief Praises Agencies For Quick Work In Bank Robbery Arrest

NewsOn6.com

BARTLESVILLE, Oklahoma -- Bartlesville Police Chief Tom Holland had words of praise for all the parties involved in the arrest of a suspected bank robber on Friday. The man was arrested Friday afternoon in Tulsa have police say he robbed a Bartlesville bank earlier in the day. 

"I certainly hope this sends a signal to anyone out there contemplating a crime against Oklahoma citizens. Law enforcement will work together to bring you to justice," Holland said.

The suspect walked into the Arvest Bank branch on Frank Phillips Boulevard Friday morning and announced he was robbing the bank, according to Bartlesville police.

While a handgun was implied, it was not seen.  Once the man got the money, he ran out a back door.

Holland said no one in the bank was injured.

Bartlesville Police later received a tip the man was in Tulsa. 

Tulsa officers started a search and spotted him Friday afternoon.  After a short chase, the man pulled over at a gas station at Cincinnati and Pine in Tulsa.

He was taken into custody without incident.

"Since beginning in law enforcement in 1971, I have never seen or even heard of such a complex, multifaceted case coming together and being resolved in such a short period of time," Holland said.

"From the moment the suspect entered Arvest Bank with the intent to commit a robbery until he was in a set of Bartlesville Police handcuffs some 60 miles from the scene was less than four hours."

Law enforcement groups included in Holland's praise were his own dispatchers, officers and detectives, Washington County Sheriff's Department, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Tulsa Police Department, District Attorney Kevin Buchanan and his staff, and law enforcement agencies in the State of Missouri.

He said the Federal Bureau of Investigation also provided "expert assistance."