Driver killed running from police in Durham

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A driver was killed in southeast Durham Thursday evening when he tried to run from police.

It happened in the 2700 block of Riddle Road near Ellis Road around 10 p.m.

Authorities said an officer in an unmarked vehicle saw a black Chrysler 200 going north on South Alston Avenue. It matched the description of a vehicle that had been involved in an armed robbery at the Circle K on Hope Valley Road less than 30 minutes earlier.

A short time later, an officer in a marked patrol car got behind the Chrysler on Riddle Road and turned on their blue lights in an attempt to stop it.

However, instead of stopping, the driver sped away on Riddle Road, lost control of the vehicle and hit a ditch. The Chrysler then flipped on its side and slid until it struck a parked box truck.

Authorities said the pursuit lasted less than 30 seconds before the crash.

The driver of the Chrysler, 26-year-old Patrick Edward Timberlake, was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was in the car.

During the robbery at the Circle K, authorities said three men wearing bandanas over their faces entered the business, pointed a gun at employees, and demanded money. The suspects stole cigarettes and then fled in the Chrysler 200.

Investigators confirmed that the Chrysler that crashed on Riddle Road had been reported stolen at gunpoint Wednesday night from a shopping center parking lot.

Police said the vehicle belonged to a woman who told officers she was walking to her car on North Duke Street around 7:45 p.m. when a man approached her, pointed a gun at her and demanded her car keys.

"He just had the gun and. I got my purse. I thought he was trying to take my purse, but he wanted my car," said the victim in a 911 call.

He then fled the scene in her car.

The fatal accident remains under investigation.

Police are trying to determine if Timberlake was connected to either robbery.