A 40-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday, June 25, three hours after robbing over $18,000 from a Carpinteria Bank of America.

The suspect, Terry Ray Hornbeck, entered the bank on Carpinteria Avenue at approximately 9:30 a.m. with what appeared to be a handgun and demanded the money from two tellers, according to Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Dept. Lt. Jim Peterson. Hornbeck then fled the bank and drove northbound on Highway 101 in his blue Cadillac, which was spotted by a Sheriff’s Dept. sergeant near Hope Avenue. The officer pursued the suspect, who exited on Patterson Avenue and fled to the residential area of North Patterson Avenue, Peterson said.

According to reports, the vehicle crashed into a private driveway on the 1100 block of Vista del Rey, where Hornbeck fled into an adjoining orchard. A Sheriff’s Dept. helicopter was able to follow the suspect, but eventually lost sight of him when he hid in a creek bed. Deputies transported a bloodhound to the scene, which located the suspect in a tree six minutes after being released. Hornbeck was contained by deputies “without incident,” Peterson said.

Deputies recovered the cash as well as a BB gun from the suspect’s vehicle, which police believe was the gun used in the robbery, according to Peterson. Hornbeck was arrested and transported to the Santa Barbara County Jail, where he is being held for two counts of armed robbery with a $250,000 bail. An arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

– Marisa Lagos

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