COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Officials are crediting witnesses for the arrest of a suspect in connection with a Friday morning bank robbery on the city's south side.
The robbery occurred at the Chase Bank at 3471 S. High Street in the South Pointe on High Plaza at about 11 a.m., NBC 4's Tanya Hutchins reported.
According to the FBI, a man entered the bank and handed a teller a note threatening to "shoot the place up" if she did not give him money.
Although no weapon was observed, the teller complied. The robber took the money and fled the bank.
Once outside, officials said, the robber ran to a large white van parked outside. Witnesses outside said they noticed the man run from the building and assumed he had just robbed the bank.
One witness ran inside and reported what he had seed to employees, who then told police the information.
Another witness took a photo of the van with his cell phone.
Responding police officers spotted the van a short distance from the bank and pulled over the driver.
The man inside the van was identified as 32-year-old Donald S. Peck.
Witnesses positively identified Peck as the robber, the FBI said. He is now being charged with the robbery.
The stolen cash from the bank was recovered in the van, but no weapon was found.
Neighboring businesses said Friday's robbery wasn't the first incident of its kind in the area.
The Marine Corps Career Center a few doors away said one of their government vehicles was broken into recently and a GPS device was stolen.
The Marines said the strip mall has seen a rise in crime recently.
Below is a map of the bank robberies of 2009:
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