ELIZABETH CITY, N.C./CHESAPEAKE, Va.— A Chesapeake man is in custody after leading North Carolina and Virginia authorities on a chase Friday morning following an armed robbery.
Elizabeth City police responded to a bank robbery at the First Bank on Hughes Boulevard around 10:10 a.m., according to a press release. A man wearing a mask entered the bank and gave the teller a note, demanding money.
Police said the suspect, identified as John Calvin Speller III, 54, left the bank in a Chevy Impala heading north on U.S. Highway 17.
Later, deputies in Pasquotank County found a vehicle speeding on Highway 17 in the area of Morgan's Corner, matching the description of the vehicle involved in the bank robbery. Authorities said Speller refused to stop for the deputy. Deputies with the Camden County Sheriff's Office took over the pursuit once Speller reached U.S. Highway 17 North and Main Street but he still refused to stop.
Speller crossed into Virginia where Chesapeake police used tire deflation devices to stop him in the area of mile marker 7 on Highway 17. There, police took Speller into custody before going to the Chesapeake City Jail.
Police said Speller's last known address was in the 1000 block of Bowden Avenue in Chesapeake.
Speller remained in jail Friday night under a fugitive warrant for robbery with a dangerous weapon in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Elizabeth City police said the investigation into what happened is still active. Anyone with information is asked to call 252-335-4321.
