An armed robbery ended in an apparent suicide after a high-speed police chase through Auburn. Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said a man robbed a business at gunpoint at approximately 11:50 a.m. near the intersection Cox Road and West Longleaf Drive. The suspect fled in a red Jeep Wrangler and the Auburn Police Division spotted the suspect's vehicle approximately one minute later, according to Register.

Lee County sheriff's deputies got involved in the chase. "During the pursuit, the suspect in the situation did fire a shot at law enforcement," Register said. "A shot was returned by law enforcement."

Register said the pursuit lasted several miles after the exchange of gunfire, until the suspect crashed into a white SUV after shooting himself near the intersection of South Gay Street and Brookside Drive. He was pronounced dead at 1:04 p.m. "There was another vehicle that was hit, and those people have been transported [to the hospital] for minor injuries," Register said.

Sign up for our newsletter Get The Plainsman straight to your inbox.

Daniel Chesser, public relations specialist with Auburn City Schools, said Wrights Mill Road Elementary School, Auburn Junior High School, Auburn High School and Dean Road Elementary School were placed under a lockdown for approximately an hour, but were given the all-clear by the APD. Traffic on South Gay Street was closed for several hours as police investigators from the APD and the Lee County Sheriff's Office processed the crime scene. Police identified the suspect as Bobby Keith Brumfield, 40, of Franklinton, Louisiana, on Thursday, Feb. 25, according to a news release issued by the Auburn Police Division. Brumfield was a registered sex offender in Louisiana, according to the release. At the time of the robbery and pursuit, Brumfield was wanted by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office for aggravated burglary, second-degree battery, second-degree robbery, simple assault and theft of a motor vehicle, according to the release. The cases remain under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, APD, the Lee County Coroner's Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Science Medical Examiner's Office. Maria McIlwain contributed to this report.

Share

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman. Support The Plainsman