Authorities followed the suspect on December 27th, 2015 down the 91 freeway eastbound lanes and onto the Magnolia Avenue off-ramp. When the suspect’s vehicle stopped, the suspect reportedly threatened “suicide by cop”, at which time the Riverside Swat Team was called in for additional assistance.
Bank Robber Threatens “Suicide by Cop” – 12/27/2015
For those who don’t know, “suicide by cop” is a term that is used to describe a situation where a person uses law enforcement to kill themselves.
When the bank robbery suspect’s vehicle broke down, he reportedly told the surrounding police that he was depressed, intoxicated, and ready to commit suicide by cop.
Once the Riverside SWAT team arrived, the suspect reportedly complied with their requests and the SWAT team was able to get him into custody without any additional reported incidents.
Suicide by Cop Statistics
Statistics pertaining to these incidents are few and far between, but suicide.org provided interesting information that challenges common myths about “Suicide by Cop” situations.
- About 50 percent of weapons used to convince officers to engage in “suicide by cop” are loaded.
- About 20 percent use a toy or replica weapon.
- 98 percent of those involved in these incidences were reportedly male.
- 39 percent have some documented history of domestic violence
Suspect’s Criminal Charges
The charges that will be filed against the suspect in question are not entirely known. The information released by the Riverside County police indicates that the suspect is believed to have committed a bank robbery, led police on a chase from Orange County to Riverside as they tried to get him or her to surrender, and then reportedly threatened to kill him or herself.
It is unknown whether the suspect involved is guilty of any of these crimes.
Robbery in California is governed by Penal Code 211. Robbery is broken down into first degree and second degree, both “degrees” carrying different penalties for different types of robbery offenses.
Those who use a gun during the commission of a robbery are often charged with violating penal code 12022.53. Some within the legal community refer to this as the “10-20-life use a gun and you’re done” law.
This allows enhancements to the regular penalties associated with penal code 211. Specifically, an extra
- 10 years for using a gun during the robbery
- 20 years if the gun was fired during the robbery
- 25 years to life if the robbery results in great bodily injury, harm, or death
Orange County and Riverside Criminal Defense
The Law Offices of Randy Collins is a criminal defense law firm that assists those who face armed robbery charges in Orange County as well as Riverside, with offices conveniently located in Santa Ana, Orange County, Riverside, and Fullerton.
Those charged with misdemeanor or felony offenses throughout Southern California can call our Riverside criminal defense lawyers to obtain a free case evaluation. Call Riverside Swat Team Stops Armed Bank Robber from “Suicide by Cop” to receive a free consultation day or night.