Armed robbery suspect holds officers at bay in Custer, takes own life

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Authorities say a suspect in a Rapid City armed robbery fatally shot himself after fleeing from law enforcement officers and engaging in an hours-long standoff.

The suspect, armed with a gun, held up Boyd’s Drug Mart about 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to Rapid City police and the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses were able to give police the license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.

A Custer County sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle a short time later and officers pursued it into Custer where they surrounded it, the Rapid City Journal reported.

“For more than three hours, law enforcement attempted to negotiate with the suspect driver in an attempt to bring the incident to a peaceful resolution,” according to a statement from law enforcement.

But the man shot himself around 7:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after first responders tried to save him, the release said.

The man’s identification is being withheld until his relatives are notified.