Three Dead After California Bank Robbery Turns into Gun Battle

iStock/Thinkstock(STOCKTON, Calif.) — Robbers fleeing a California bank took three women hostage and led police on a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, ending when three people were shot dead, including one of the hostages, authorities said.

During the 45-minute chase, two of the hostages were tossed out of the moving car, authorities said.

The violence erupted in Stockton, a city in the northern part of the state. Authorities say three robbers at Bank of the West made off with money and the three female hostages.

Police say the suspects stole a bank employee’s SUV and fired AK-47-type assault weapons at pursuing police. At least 14 cars and many homes were struck by stray bullets, Police Chief Eric Jones told a news conference late Wednesday.

The chase ended in a bloody shootout that left the SUV riddled with bullet holes. All of the alleged bank robbers were shot, two of them dead.

The surviving suspect was identified by police as Jaime Ramos, 19. He was charged with homicide, kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder charges. Police did not identify the two dead suspects, but said they were 30 and 27 and were “documented gang members.”

One hostage, identified by her family as Misty Holt-Singh, also died in the car, with police saying she appears to have been used by the suspects as a human shield during the shootout.

The women who were thrown from the car both have bullet wounds and are hospitalized, police said.

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