Antioch bank-holdup suspect held after taking hostage, wild chase

Shawn McGee was arrested after he allegedly robbed an Antioch bank, led police on a chase and took a hostage in East Oakland. Shawn McGee was arrested after he allegedly robbed an Antioch bank, led police on a chase and took a hostage in East Oakland. Photo: Antioch Police Photo: Antioch Police Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Antioch bank-holdup suspect held after taking hostage, wild chase 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A suspect was arrested after he robbed an Antioch bank at gunpoint, led police on a chase to East Oakland and took a woman hostage, only to have her escape unharmed after he nodded off from drugs and alcohol, police said.

Shawn McGee Sr., 51, of Oakland was arrested by the Oakland police SWAT team and booked at Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez on suspicion of robbery, burglary, making criminal threats, false imprisonment and felony evading arrest. His bail was set at $250,000.

The incident began shortly before 6:15 p.m. Saturday when McGee, dressed in a construction-style jumpsuit and hard hat, used a gun to rob a teller at the Wells Fargo Bank inside the Safeway store at 3365 Deer Valley Road in Antioch, police said.

McGee fled on a bicycle at first but was then spotted by witnesses, who said he got into a green 1994 GMC pickup truck and fled north on Hillcrest Avenue. A witness followed the truck as it got onto westbound Highway 4.

Officers caught up to the truck on the highway as it approached Loveridge Road. Police activated their sirens and lights, but the suspect refused to pull over, driving at speeds of up to 105 mph, authorities said. California Highway Patrol officers took over the pursuit as it streaked south on Interstate 680, west on Highway 24 and south on Interstate 880, where the suspect exited on 98th Avenue in East Oakland.

The chase ended when McGee fled from the car and ran into an apartment that didn’t belong to him on the 10500 block of Topanga Drive in the Sobrante Park neighborhood, police said. Oakland police and a CHP helicopter converged on the scene.

McGee took a woman hostage, prompting the Oakland police SWAT team to respond, authorities said.

The woman was able to escape about 11 p.m. Saturday after McGee fell asleep from the effects of heroin and alcohol, police said.

“She said he’s beginning to nod off,” police reported on their radio channel. “He took heroin or something, and she’s going to try to escape. So if the door opens, it’s her coming out.”

Police arrested McGee without incident. No injuries were reported. The money stolen from the bank and a gun were recovered, police said.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee