Bank Robbery Suspect ID’d, Shot by Police After Escape Attempt
TULARE – The bank robber shot by Tulare County Sheriff deputies on Tuesday has been identified as 33-year-old Nolen Burchett.
Wells Fargo, 229 E. Tulare Ave.
Police believe Burchett was responsible for a robbery at Wells Fargo at 229 E. Tulare Ave. in Tulare around 5:19 p.m. on Tuesday. He was seen leaving the bank in a red Jeep. Police issued an alert for the vehicle.
It wasn’t long before two sheriff’s deputies in unmarked vehicles spotted the Jeep and attempted to make a traffic stop somewhere between the towns of Visalia and Tulare. Burchett refused to pull over and a chase ensued all the way to Visalia.
While trying to outrun the deputes, Burchett’s Jeep jumped the curb in front of a set of apartments near Visalia Nazarene Church in Visalia, ran through a telephone pole and a fence, and ended up next to an apartment.
Burchett apparently tried to escape from the deputies, at which point at least one of the deputies fired his gun and hit Burchett. He was transported to Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, where he is listed in stable condition. The deputies were not injured.
No one was reported injured at the apartment complex where Burchett crashed his car and where the shooting took place.
The Visalia Police Department is handling the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Meanwhile, the Tulare Police Department is handling the criminal investigation into the bank robbery Burchett is connected to. It is one of four robberies to have taken place in Tulare within the last month. It has not been confirmed whether Burchett is also connected to the other robberies.
Read more:
CBS 47: Wounded bank robbery suspect indentified
KSEE 24: Suspect in Visalia Officer Involved Shooting Identified
