A wheelchair-bound armed-robbery suspect was taken into custody Tuesday night following a lengthy pursuit that ended when the man exited a van outside San Diego Police Headquarters, officials said.
He was later identified as Mike Hanby, 29, KSWB-TV reported.
The incident began about 9:30 p.m. when officers in nearby Chula Vista responded to a Kmart in the 800 block of East H Street, where a person said the suspect had been confronted in the store’s parking lot after allegedly stealing several items, according to a news release. The man displayed a handgun “in a threatening manner” to the person, who then called police, authorities said.
The suspect got into a maroon van, which had disabled license plates, and exited the parking lot, Chula Vista police said. The driver allegedly failed to pull over when officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, and a pursuit ensued through various areas of San Diego.
Officers placed spike strips in front of the van while a police helicopter monitored the chase from overhead.
When the van pulled into a parking lot at the police station near downtown, the driver used a ramp to exit the vehicle, the news release said. News footage showed at least a dozen officers with weapons drawn at the scene, three of whom pointed rifles at the man. A K-9 unit was deployed and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.
“Fortunately, he complied with our directives but he was armed with two firearms,” Chula Vista police Lt. Buddy Magor told KSWB. “He had a shoulder holster and a semi-auto handgun under his arm, and he had a small revolver that was cocked and ready to go under his leg.”
