Waterville bank robber tackled, money flies into the wind to be caught by locals

Waterville Police say a man was quickly arrested Tuesday after attempting to rob the Bangor Savings Bank on Upper Main Street.

Officials say Jason Mackenrodt, 37, of Waterville is charged with robbery and terrorizing.

Around 10:00am Tuesday morning, police say he pulled out a BB gun in the bank and made off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Mike Levo, Assistant General Manager at Advance Auto Parts, was on break and saw it all go down right in front of him.

"He was being chased by something, I didn't know what though at that point, and then he fell and I started yelling... I think he tripped on himself, he just tripped," said Levo.

Police say Mackenrodt tripped and fell in the parking lot across the street, dropping the money and his gun.

Unfortunately for Mackenrodt, he tripped right near Special Agent Glenn Lang of the Maine State Police.

"Special Agent Lang obviously recognized the combination of a running person, money, and gun, and realized that something was amiss and took Mr. Mackenrodt into custody," said Waterville Deputy Police Chief William Bonney.

Within moments, the Waterville PD arrived and took him to the Waterville Police Department.

"The special agent from the State Police -- he was in the right place at the right time. Very competent officer with a lot of years of experience. He did a great job in apprehending this guy without any injury, keeping the community safe, keeping the suspect safe, and keeping himself safe," said Bonney.

Levo said it's a worrisome situation, especially with it happening in such a public place.

"It is unnerving to know that there are people out there that are going to the extremes with disregard of the safety of others," said Levo.

Mackenrodt is being held on $25,000 bail.