Robbery Suspect Held but Another Eludes Officers

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery but a second suspect remained at large Friday after they led Orange police on a high-speed chase that ended when their car crashed on the Chapman College campus, police said.

Rudy R. Chapa of Hawaiian Gardens was booked into County Jail after being treated at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana for injuries sustained in the crash, said police Sgt. Paul Ordonez.

Ordonez said two men entered Norm’s Restaurant, 1550 E. Katella Ave., about 2:10 a.m. Friday and displayed a handgun. They took about $170 and fled in a 1978 Chevrolet Camaro, he said.

Officer Bruce Loftus saw two suspects driving away and pursued them for four or five miles at speeds exceeding 85 m.p.h., Ordonez said. After the Camaro crashed into a guardrail at the college, the suspects fled on foot, Ordonez said.

With Orange’s police dog, Sabor, aiding in the search, Chapa was found hiding in bushes, Ordonez said. Part of the stolen money also was also recovered, he said.

Ordonez described the missing suspect as a Latino, 20 to 24 years old, 5 feet, 8 inches to 6 feet, 2 inches, and weighing 150 to 160 pounds.