Two men robbed a federal credit union Tuesday, prompting a car chase, foot chase, carjacking and manhunt that stretched across East Brainerd - and police say one robber is still on the run.
The two men robbed the Trust Federal Credit Union at 1529 Gunbarrel Road at 12:06 p.m. and fled in a silver Jeep with an undisclosed amount of money, Chattanooga police spokesman Rob Simmons said.
An officer spotted the vehicle as the robbers drove up Gunbarrel Road and gave chase. They made it to the corner of Skyline Drive and Jarnigan Road, near Hamilton Place mall, before they crashed into a telephone pole, Simmons said.
Both men then jumped out of the wrecked Jeep and ran, Simmons said. One man ran all the way across Interstate 75 and kept running, jumping fences along the way. As he ran, he dropped a large amount of the stolen money, Simmons said.
With the help of K-9 units, police officers were able to track down and arrest that man on Hickory View Lane. The man refused to give his name to police, but told medical personnel he was 38 years old.
The second robber, however, is still on the run. He attacked a woman near the mall and carjacked her Lexus SUV, which he then used to escape. Simmons could not immediately say if the man was armed, but said the woman was safe and working with police.
The second man has not been identified and is considered armed and dangerous, Simmons said. At least one nearby business locked its doors during the escape as a precaution as police cars swarmed the area near the mall, a witness said.
The FBI is taking over the investigation into the robbery, Simmons said.
About a month ago in mid-September, a credit union across from Erlanger hospital was robbed. In that case, the robber threatened to blow up the building and threatened workers with a fake bomb.
Both robberies happened in the middle of the day.
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.