WEST WENDOVER, Nev., Nov. 18, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Ogden police said a man involved with a police shootout in West Wendover on Thursday evening — who had an improvised explosive device and large amounts of cash in his car — is the same man who robbed an Ogden credit union earlier the same day.
Christopher Anthony Martinez, 30, is in critical condition after exchanging gunfire with police in an incident which was the culmination of a longer crime spree, Ogden Police said in a series of tweets Friday afternoon.
A bomb squad was called out to investigate when police found an improvised explosive device in the Martinez’s car, along with cash, on Friday morning after the standoff.
The serial numbers on those bills match those of cash stolen in the robbery of Mountain America Credit Union, 321 E. 2nd St., at about 12:20 p.m. Thursday.
In that instance, Martinez allegedly demanded the teller give him all of the cash from the money drawer. He reportedly said he had a gun, but no gun was displayed, according to Ogden police.
The teller complied with the demand, and the suspect left with an undisclosed amount of money.
The incident in Nevada began just before 9 p.m. when police received a call about a man firing a gun inside Southern X-posure strip club at 1870 W. Plateau Way, according to a news release from West Wendover Police.
The caller reported a white male wearing a black jacket shooting a gun inside the club.
Officers responded within two minutes and the suspect, later identified as Martinez, fled in a vehicle, and was pursued by police. Martinez then crashed his vehicle into a guard rail on the southeast corner of West Wendover Boulevard and Camper Drive.
Martinez began firing at police officers and two officers returned fire, the news release said. The suspect then stopped shooting, but refused commands to exit the vehicle.
Additional officers responded and established a perimeter, and casinos, hotels and businesses were put into a lockdown mode.
Approximately 40 minutes later, Martinez exited the passenger side of the car and got down onto the ground, but refused commands to show his hands, according to the police statement. Officers approached and took him into custody, then discovered the suspect suffered an apparent bullet wound to his chest. He also had injuries to his leg, possibly from the crash.
The suspect was transported by ambulance to a helicopter and flown to a Salt Lake City area hospital for treatment.
