Hundreds of people swarmed the streets in South Los Angeles Wednesday afternoon when suspected bank robbers led police on a pursuit while tossing wads of cash out the window of their getaway car.

"There were mothers leaving their kids and they were just grabbing the money, and there was just money in the air," said resident Sal Reyes. "It was just everywhere."

Many in the crowd took it as an opportunity to scoop up the loose bills, but Reyes says he was compelled to return the money he found.

He said he picked up the cash without initially knowing why it was on the ground. Someone explained to him that it was money from a bank robbery.

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Several residents described the alleged robbers as modern-day Robin Hood figures, taking from the rich to give to those in one of the area's less affluent neighborhoods. But there’s no indication that was the intent when three men in ski masks allegedly robbed a Santa Clarita Bank of America. A fourth man was in the getaway car.

Reyes said he had to return the loot.

"You have to give it back. You can’t just go spend money that’s not yours," he said.

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Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with crowds chanting, "We want money," and some gatherers dodging squad cars and climbing over vehicles caught in the melee.

"Everybody was just grabbing whatever they could," Reyes said.

Police on Wednesday urged the public to return any bills they found, emphasizing that receiving stolen property can be considered a crime in itself.

But officials say the smaller bills – those in denominations of one, five, 10 and even 20 – will likely go unnoticed and the bank’s insurance will pick up the tab.

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Police did not disclose the amount of money taken from the bank.

All four suspects have been arrested, including two who had bailed out of the getaway car.

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LOS ANGELES - Bystanders stepped into the line of fire at the end of a high-speed pursuit as police tried to apprehend suspected bank robbers who appeared to toss money out of their getaway vehicle.

The chase, which started in the Santa Clarita area north of Los Angeles, ended around 11:20 a.m. PT Wednesday in South Los Angeles.

A mob of people gathered around the black Volvo SUV after it was forced to stop because of traffic.

Officers exited their squad cars to confront the alleged robbers and were able to take them into custody.

The chase was covered live by L.A. television stations. Dozens of people gathered at the crime scene.

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The pursuit began in Canyon Country following a robbery at a Bank of America.

Around 10:50 a.m., the driver exited the southbound 110 Freeway and started heading west on Third Street away from downtown. Around 11 a.m., the suspects were zigzagging through the streets just west of downtown.

By 11:20 a.m., the vehicle was traveling through South LA.

More than a dozen times during the pursuit, what appeared to be handfuls of cash were thrown out of the backseat car window.

Onlookers were waving to the suspected bank robbers, apparently signaling for them to throw more money. At times, the vehicle had to navigate through a mob of people waving at the car.

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Earlier, two people had jumped out of the vehicle on the 210 Freeway near Yarnell Street, said Capt. Mike Parker.

No injuries were reported, said Sgt. Daniel Stanley of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Santa Clarita.

This is the third police pursuit this week. On Tuesday night, a suspect was shot by police following an hour-long pursuit through neighborhoods near downtown.

On Monday, a driver led police on a pursuit for hours. He managed to flee the vehicle and evade arrest.

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