Guard Killed, Suspect Wounded in Bank Holdup

ORANGE — A man suspected of robbing the same Eldorado Bank bank three times returned Wednesday and fatally shot a security guard who wounded the robber in an exchange of gunfire, police said.

Michael McClellan, 54, a retired Long Beach police officer, was shot twice, once in the temple, and died at the scene. The suspect, whom police have not identified, was undergoing surgery late Wednesday at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana for a bullet wound to the chest.

Police said the three previous robberies at the bank, the last on Feb. 13, were committed by the gunman. He was so well known that at least one customer recognized him Wednesday, police said.

The robber was holding a gun on employees and customers when the security guard surprised him, Gilleland said. The men fired at each other. The guard was shot in the stomach and the head, police said. The suspect collapsed in the parking lot.