Suspect in Minn. bank robbery arrested in Texas after chase nears 150 mph

A man who held up a southern Minnesota bank with a "police-style" gun was captured more than 16 hours later early Saturday in northern Texas, pulled over after a chase that flirted with 150 miles per hour, authorities said.

The robbery of the First National Bank in Hope, an unincorporated community about 11 miles south of Owatonna, occurred about 8:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Steele County Sheriff's Office.

Law enforcement said it didn't get a glimpse of the man, later identified as Alfredo Frias Alvarez, 39, of Waseca, again until shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday, when an Oklahoma State Patrol trooper was on the tail of the robber's car, described as a "Dodge Charger-like vehicle."

After a 40-mile chase, the suspect's car crossed into Texas, and Alvarez was soon pulled over and apprehended with what appeared to the stolen loot, Steele County officials said.

According to authorities:

Alvarez pointed what law enforcement described as a "police-style revolver" at the teller and demanded money. With an undisclosed amount of cash, Alvarez got in a car and sped away to the south.

Authorities learned that the vehicle was under threat of repossession, and Alvarez's employer told law enforcement that if the suspect "was caught with more trouble, he would be looking at prison time."

A multistate law-enforcement alert preceded the Oklahoma trooper spotting Alvarez's car, leading to the arrest more than 800 miles from the bank.

Texas troopers sent photos to Steele County authorities of "a large amount of currency, organized by denomination, consistent with the money stolen from the Hope Bank."

Alvarez's criminal history in Minnesota includes four convictions for speeding, and one each for driving after his license was suspended, driving without insurance and driving with tinted windows. He also has a misdemeanor theft on his record.