Thursday, 4:30 PM
Suspected bank robber leads police on 20-mile chase on Interstate 495
By Globe Staff
A man accused of robbing a bank in Lawrence led authorities on a chase this morning that stretched some 20 miles and involved more than a dozen police cruisers. The pursuit began at 11:45 a.m. after police said a man wearing a makeshift mask walked into a TD Banknorth branch on Broadway where a retired
Lawrence police officer happened to be in the lobby.
"The guy's got a sweatshirt covering his head and something covering his face," Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said by telephone. The retired officer "figured out pretty quick what was going on and called 911."
Police said the robber jumped over the tellers' counter, grabbed money out of several cash drawers, and fled the scene in a rented Nissan Altima.
Reaching speeds up to 65 miles per hour, Lawrence police and state troopers chased the suspect to Interstate 495, where he drove north into Amesbury, police said. At one point, the suspect drove in the wrong direction on the interstate.
The suspect exited I495 at Route 110 in Amesbury, lost control of the car, and crashed. Police identified the suspect as John Moffat, 30, of Lawrence. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Lawrence District Court.
