Bank robbery suspect shot by officer inside Beverly Hills hotel

ByABC7.com staff and Leanne Suter KABC logo
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Bank robbery suspect shot by officer inside Beverly Hills hotel
A bank robbery suspect was listed in critical condition after being shot by a police officer in the lobby of the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills Monday. A second suspect is in custody.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A bank robbery suspect was listed in critical condition after being shot by a police officer in the lobby of the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills Monday afternoon. A second suspect is in custody.

The shooting occurred at the luxury hotel located at 360 North Rodeo Drive at about 4:30 p.m. Evidence markers littered the lobby following the shooting.

Police say the two suspects, one of whom was armed, robbed a Bank of America in the 400 block of Beverly Drive, located less than two blocks from the hotel.

One of the two suspects threatened the clerk with a gun and demanded money. After being given an undisclosed amount of money, both men ran out of the bank.

One of the suspects was arrested right outside of the bank. The other suspect, who was armed, ran off with the cash. He was found with the help of a GPS tracking device.

"The second suspect was followed with a GPS tracking device that was left in the bait money," Beverly Hills police Lt. Lincoln Hoshino said. "At that point, approximately 20 minutes later, our officers engaged who they thought was the suspect just inside the door of the Luxe Hotel. That's when an officer-involved shooting occurred."

The suspect appeared to be alert and talking to paramedics as he was loaded into an ambulance. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in critical condition and is undergoing surgery.

The street and hotel lobby were packed with guests and visitors, but no one else was injured.

Motorists were urged to avoid the area. Heavy traffic delays were expected. Rodeo Drive was temporarily shut down between Brighton and Dayton ways.