Three charged in Monday's bank robbery

Charleston police have obtained warrants to charge three men in Monday's robbery of a West Ashley bank.

Those arrested included Alonzo Brown, the subject of a 90-minute standoff on in North Charleston which ended peacefully after Brown spoke to a North Charleston deputy police chief. Also charged with armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime were Davin Stewart, 43, and Robert Isaac Nelson Jr., 30, Charleston police said in a press release. The men were expected to appear in Charleston County Bond Court this afternoon.

Two armed men had entered the Wachovia on 828 Orleans Road about 11:15 a.m. Monday, said Charles Francis, Charleston police public information officer. They left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. A third person was waiting in the parking lot in a getaway vehicle.

A witness gave police a description of the vehicle and its license plate number, Francis said. Authorities broadcast the details to other law-enforcement agencies.

Shortly thereafter, North Charleston police started to chase a matching vehicle near Leeds Avenue and Azalea Drive, he said. Two men jumped out on Bonds Avenue, while the driver continued through the Dorchester Terrace and Waylyn neighborhoods. The driver kept going until turning onto the railroad tracks and getting stuck near Dorchester and Meeting Street roads.

The driver remained inside the white Ford sport utility vehicle with a handgun, leading to a tense situation that lasted for almost an hour and a half as a crowd gathered nearby. Eventually, the driver, who police identified as Alonzo Brown, asked to speak to North Charleston Deputy Police Chief William Barfield. Brown surrendered peacefully after Barfield arrived at the scene.

Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com