A bank robbery suspect was killed on impact after fleeing Texas police in a 130 mph chase that ended when he lost control after one of his tires was spiked, hitting a tree with enough force to throw the burning engine block clear of the wreckage.
LeEdward Hopkins, 43, was one of two suspects in the robbery of a bank in Wharton, Texas, on the morning of Sept. 12.
When challenged, Hopkins refused to pull over and fled, leading law enforcement on a chase that ended when his Dodge veered off the road next to a golf course in Nacogdoches.
“Hopkins apparently died on impact and was pronounced dead at the scene by a Nacogdoches County Justice of the Peace,” said the police in a statement.
“An undisclosed amount of cash was recovered from the vehicle, along with a loaded pistol and additional magazines.”
The other suspect in the robbery, Tony Mitchell, 42, of Houston, was not in the vehicle, said police, and is still at large.
After initially refusing to stop, Hopkins had raced along U.S. 59 toward the city of Nacogdoches as multiple agencies joined the pursuit.
At one point an officer tried unsuccessfully to shoot out the back tire.
“Hopkins broke away from law enforcement as he neared Nacogdoches city limits, reaching speeds of more than 130 mph,” police said. “He lost control of the vehicle after one of his tires was spiked near Woodland Hills Golf Course.”
“The vehicle veered off the road, hit a power pole, and went airborne into a tree before eventually coming to a stop in a tree line near the 12th hole,” said the police, describing the moment that can be seen in the dashcam footage. “The car’s engine block caught fire, but it had been thrown from the vehicle.”
Photographs posted along with the statement show the wreckage strewn across the area around the Dodge’s wrecked carcass.
Hopkins and Mitchell of Houston are suspected of robbing the First State Bank of Louise at gunpoint, making off with an undisclosed amount of cash in a case now being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Division.
The division had alerted Lufkin Police when they received information that Hopkins was heading through the area north on Loop 287.
