GRANITE CITY, Ill. – A robbery that began Wednesday afternoon in downtown Granite City ended hours later in tragedy when the fleeing suspect took his own life as police closed in, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The incident began shortly after 2:30 p.m. when Granite City police responded to an armed robbery at the Metro East Jewelry & Loan on Nameoki Road. Witnesses told officers a masked man brandishing a handgun demanded cash and fled in a silver 2008 Pontiac G6 with a stolen license plate.
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Officers spotted the vehicle minutes later near 20th and Madison and attempted a traffic stop. The driver refused to pull over, leading police on a 19-mile pursuit that reached speeds above 100 mph and crossed into rural Madison County near Illinois Route 111 and Horseshoe Lake Road.
Around 3:10 p.m., the Pontiac left the roadway, traveled several hundred yards down a farm access road, and came to a stop in a harvested soybean field. As officers established a perimeter and called for the suspect to exit the vehicle, a single gunshot was heard from inside. Members of the Granite City SWAT team and Madison County deputies approached and found the driver suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Despite immediate lifesaving efforts by paramedics, the man—believed to be in his late 30s—was pronounced dead at the scene. No shots were fired by police.
“This is an outcome nobody wants,” Granite City Police Chief Nick Novacich said at a brief press conference Thursday evening. “Our officers followed policy, attempted de-escalation when the vehicle was stopped, and still we lost a life. Our hearts go out to everyone touched by this.”
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis has activated and taken over the investigation, standard protocol when a death occurs during a police pursuit in the region. Investigators recovered a handgun from the vehicle and are reviewing dash-cam and body-camera footage.
The suspect’s name is being withheld pending notification of family and completion of autopsy and toxicology results. Sources familiar with the investigation say the man had an extensive criminal history and may have been aware of outstanding warrants.
Employees at the pawn shop told reporters the robber appeared agitated and nervous during the hold-up, repeatedly apologizing while keeping the gun pointed at the floor. No customers were inside at the time and no one was physically injured.
Neighbors near the field where the chase ended described hearing sirens and then a single gunshot. “I looked out and saw all the lights,” said Mary Klein, who lives a half-mile away. “You see this stuff on the news, but when it’s your backyard… it shakes you.”
Local clergy and Madison County crisis-response teams are offering support to first responders and witnesses. Advocacy groups renewed calls Thursday for expanded mental-health resources and alternatives to high-speed pursuits when public safety allows.
The Metro East Jewelry & Loan reopened Thursday morning with a handwritten sign on the door that read, “We are heartbroken for all involved. Praying for peace.”