He tried to rob a bank, then led Florida cops on a 20-mile chase. Watch what happened

A 20-mile police chase involving several law enforcement agencies led to a traffic nightmare and a lot of drama on Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida on Wednesday afternoon.

According to a Facebook post, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was notified by Cape Coral police tof a “pursuit” heading into Fort Myers.

They were also told the driver, identified as 72-year-old Patrick Schroeder, was armed with “an AR-style firearm” and was a person of interest in an attempted robbery of a Bank of America in Cape Coral that had occurred about an hour earlier.

According to authorities, the suspect held a rifle at the security guard as he attempted to enter the branch. After the guard denied him entry, the suspect left in a black, late model BMW with a spray-painted license plate, according to a news release.

Deputies quickly spotted the unusual looking car, which was speeding south on I-75. The pursuit continued into Fort Myers, where the Lee County Sheriff’s Office “quickly assumed the lead.”

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Officers teamed up to track down Schroeder, who was “driving erratically, running red lights and swerving toward patrol vehicles,” according to the sheriff’s release.

After showing “complete disregard” for the caravan of marked and unmarked patrol vehicles, Schroeder was eventually stopped after deputies conducted a P.I.T. (precision immobilization technique), hitting his rear bumper and forcing it to lose traction, near Alico Road near Fort Myers.

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While returning via chopper from an awards recognition event, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno was able to oversee the chaos from the air. His helicopter landed right on the highway, where the top cop surveyed the scene.

“I had the opportunity to watch this scene unfold from the sky in the chopper, and I reiterate, my LCSO family members are the greatest,” he said. “If you choose to run from us, we will come after you with all of our assets.”

Schroeder was detained without further incident. A search of his vehicle revealed an AR-style rifle between the passenger seat and center console, deputies said. He was taken to Lee County Jail and faces charges including robbery with a firearm (attempted); aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; fleeing law enforcement; and resisting an officer.

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An investigation revealed that the suspect was at the bank earlier in the day and attempted to deposit a check and withdraw the funds. But a hold was placed on the check, which “infuriated” him. So deputies say he went home to get his gun, spray-painted his license plate and draped a black T-shirt over his head to conceal his identity. Schroeder then returned to the bank “with the intent to rob this location,” the investigation concluded.