Reading Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested After Chase
READING (CBS) - Police say a 25-year-old man walked into the TD Bank in Reading completely covered and demanded money from the tellers. Then the chase to catch him crossed town lines.
"He was unarmed he walked in covered head to toe, ski mask on, glasses on," said Deputy Chief David Clark of the Reading Police Department.
Investigators say 25-year-old Sean Michael Manuel left the bank with a bag of cash. What he didn't know though, was that he stole much more than he thought.
"We knew based on the speeds that the person was going that we knew the person was in a motor vehicle," Deputy Chief Clark said.
Wherever the money went, a security feature from the bank went along with it, updating police with his exact location.
When police tried to pull Manuel over just before the Wilmington town line, he wouldn't stop.
"He ditched the car took off and ran in between some neighborhoods," he added.
Those neighborhoods were between Allgrove Lane and Marcia Road.
"My husband texted me and said you might not want to come home right now they are arresting some guy that stole money from a bank and I'm like what?" Susan Devlin said.
Manuel was taken down on Susan Devlin's front lawn while her husband watched through the window.
"He heard yelling and looked out the window and saw a chase happening and then saw him get apprehended there right in front of the mailbox. And he saw the police officer pull out his weapon and say something he didn't know what and obviously the man decided probably I should stop," she explained.
"I think about thirty police officers got here in about two minutes," Devlin added.
Devlin says she's been outside with her neighbors a lot this week and she's happy Friday's weather didn't allow that to happen.
"I don't know what that man would have done what any one of us would have done I'm glad that it happened when no one was around and nobody got hurt," she said.
Manuel is being held at the Reading Police Department until his arraignment on Monday. He is charged with unarmed robbery, failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and speeding.
Police say he also has four active arrest warrants.