Residents Assist in Bank Robbery Arrests

PALMDALE â€”  Two men suspected of robbing a bank were arrested Saturday near Lake Los Angeles after residents gave chase and held them for a sheriff’s deputy whose patrol truck crashed and flipped en route, authorities said.

Shamsid Habeebullah, 19, and Larry Tolbert, 18, were being held at the Lancaster station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on suspicion of armed robbery, said Lt. Rod Penner.

The robbery occurred at about 11:20 a.m. at the Antelope Valley Bank in the 40100 block of 170th Street East, an unincorporated area five miles east of Palmdale, authorities said.

Penner said the two men--one armed with a handgun--entered the bank, demanded money and fled on foot. He said several witnesses chased them.

The pursuers surrounded Habeebullah a few blocks away on 172nd Street East, and a few others caught Tolbert, who had taken cover behind some rocks after tossing the gun into bushes, Penner said.

Deputy Richard Engels arrived and arrested Habeebullah, authorities said.

The deputy put Habeebullah in his patrol car and was driving a short distance to arrest Tolbert when his Ford Bronco was struck by a Lincoln Continental, Penner said. The impact flipped the Bronco, Penner said.

Residents guarded Habeebullah in the wrecked patrol vehicle as Engels ran to arrest Tolbert, Penner said.

Engels was not injured in the collision, Penner said. Habeebullah suffered minor injuries and was treated at the Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center, then released to deputies.

The driver of the Lincoln had not been cited late Saturday, but the accident remained under investigation, Penner said.

The handgun and an undisclosed amount of money were recovered, according to authorities.