Suspected Bank Robber Shot Dead After Pursuit

A bank heist in Corona, California, led to a pursuit that ended with the fatal shooting of the suspected robber in Chino, officials said.

The take-over style robbery of Pacific Premier Bank happened about 4 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Brent Nelson of the Corona Police Department.

The chase after the holdup ended in gunfire after the suspect's van crashed near Euclid and Pine avenues. The driver who led police in the pursuit was fatally struck. It is still unclear if he had acted aggressively towards law enforcement officers after his van crashed.

No officers or bystanders were injured, Nelson said.

Ron Danieri walked inside the bank moments after the heist and said he instantly knew something was wrong.

"It was eerie because there were no tellers," Danieri said. "I said, 'Hello? Hello?' Nothing, so we thought this is weird so we walked out," Danieri said.

Danieri said it sounded like tellers and customers were locked away while the robber made his getaway.

Shortly after, police chased the white van to Chino, where it crashed. Police opened fire, leaving the van riddled with bullets

Police did not say whether a gun had been found at the scene.

As of 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the dead man's body and the van remained on the scene. Police were keeping the scene intact for San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigators, who were scheduled to arrive on scene later in the morning.

NBC4's Rosa Ordaz and Lolita Lopez contributed to this report.

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