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Armed bank robbery ends in a hail of gunfire in Lancaster neighborhood

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LANCASTER, Calif.–A pursuit that began with an armed bank robbery in Saugus ended in a hail of gunfire today on a Lancaster cul-de-sac, where the suspect brought his SUV to a stop and was fatally shot by deputies after apparently opening fire on them.

The man was believed to have robbed a Bank of America branch at gunpoint about 9:15 a.m. at Bouquet Canyon and Seco Canyon roads in the Saugus area, sheriff’s Deputy Guillermina Saldana said. Deputies pursued the man until he came to a stop around 10:15 a.m. at Desert Springs Drive and 10th Street West, Saldana said.

A short standoff ensued, with the suspect opening the driver’s side door and standing next to his vehicle, but refusing to comply with deputies’ orders to move away from the SUV, according to sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker.

Eventually, the suspect got back into the vehicle, and multiple deputies fired through the windshield.

“The suspect made this decision,” Parker told KCAL9. “The deputies gave him every opportunity to surrender. They kept repeatedly telling him to show his hands and he wouldn’t. ‘He got back in the car, and it appeared to me … that the suspect started firing his gun and deputies fired back. And then after that you saw that the deputies formed a team and tactically approached the car in a way that was as safe as possible for the deputies, but clearly the suspect could have shot those deputies as they approached. They’re risking their lives out there. They couldn’t let him get away. It really proved itself how dangerous this man is to the community.”

The name of the man, who was in his 40s, was withheld pending notification of kin.

No deputies were injured.

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