By JUSTIN WHITE
After allegedly robbing an Orem bank, 20 year-old Orem resident Patrick Heaps led police on a foot chase that ended in a standoff and his arrest Monday.
Residents of the area saw the suspect run through several backyards carrying a handgun. Police had chased the suspect from the bank, and residents saw him enter an abandoned house on 1000 East in Orem and then alerted police, said Lt. Steve Clark of the Orem Police Department.
Police tried to negotiate with the suspect, but he did not respond. Officers from the Utah County Sheriff Department then fired tear gas into the house, but the suspect did not come out. Seven or eight heavily armed officers from the Special Emergency Response Team unit of the Sheriff's Department entered the house and took the suspect into custody. He was hiding in the attic, Clark said.
Police seized a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun and ammunition from Heaps, Clark said.
The suspect had an injury to one hand, which was caused when officers fired at him during foot pursuit. No officers or civilians were hurt during the robbery or standoff, Clark said.
About 20 officers from the Orem and Provo police departments and the Utah County Sheriff's Department cooperated in the arrest, Clark said.
The chase and ensuing standoff began at 9:12 a.m., when Orem police received a 911 call about a robbery in progress at the Wasatch Office of Zion's National Bank in Orem. The suspect was exiting the bank when they arrived, according to a statement by the Orem Police Department.
A foot chase ensued through the yards of Kindercare Learning Centers, and then east through the surrounding neighborhood.
The police fired five to six shots at the suspect, when he turned and pointed a gun at them across the front of a pickup truck near the bank. Police gunfire hit the suspect on the hand, but he continued to run.
They continued the pursuit, finding several items of clothing dropped by the suspect. Police also found a black bag containing a large amount of money, Clark said.
The suspect ran east towards the Riverside Country Club and temporarily eluded officers there. He doubled back and police caught up with him near Carterville Road. Neighbors saw him enter a vacant cabin-type house on 1100 East.
Backup arrived from the Utah County Sherriff's department. After the standoff and firing of tear gas, the suspect was apprehended. Several of the neighbors said they knew the suspect, and he lived in the area.
Heaps is also suspected in several other Orem robberies, Clark said.
According to a police statement, charges against Heaps are pending.