Bank Robber Who Threw Cash In I-15 Chase Lives In Murrieta: Cops

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A Murrieta man is hospitalized and awaiting being booked into jail for robbing a Lake Elsinore bank, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reports. What's more, he's facing charges of felony evading for allegedly leading law enforcement officers on a chase along Interstate 15 in the area.

Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Ponder says the robbery happened around 4:15 p.m. Saturday in the 29000 block of Canyon Hills Road. Witnesses to the crime tell police they saw the suspect flee the scene in a gold Buick sedan on Railroad Canyon Road towards the Interstate 15 freeway.

"Lake Elsinore officers located the vehicle travelling on the northbound Interstate 15 freeway," Ponder said in a news release. "The suspect immediately attempted to evade the officers, who initiated a pursuit of the vehicle."

During the subsequent chase, the man — identified as 27-year-old Thomas Burke — allegedly threw cash he got during the robbery onto the freeway. He then got off I-15 at Cajalco Road, where he crashed into another car, Ponder said.

As police took the man into custody and to the hospital for injuries he got in the crash, people who were driving by on the 15 stopped for some of the cash, officials say.

"Witnesses stated motorists stopped along the freeway, collected evidence discarded by the suspect during the pursuit, and then drove away from the area," Ponder said. "Detectives are actively seeking any witnesses who can provide information towards the recovery of the evidence."

The vehicle that Burke crashed into also took off, he said.

Police temporarily closed a portion of Interstate 15 "to recover evidence from the freeway discarded by the suspect," according to Ponder.

As of Monday morning, jail records showed Burke had yet to be booked into custody, indicating he was likely still hospitalized.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call Riverside County Sheriff’s dispatch at (951) 776-1099, or the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300.

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