Lake Mary bank robbery ends with crash, employee arrest, police say

FBI investigates robbery of Wells Fargo bank

LAKE MARY, Fla. – An early morning bank robbery Tuesday in Lake Mary ended in a crash with a police cruiser and two arrests, officials said.

Lake Mary police said they received a call at 7:55 a.m. about a robbery in progress at the Wells Fargo branch on International Parkway.

Lake Mary community relations Officer Rebekah Matviak said the 911 call was critical in their response, because the bank was robbed an hour before it opened.

"They were the ones who put it in motion. In my book, they were like the saving grace of the day," said Matviak, referring to the caller who was inside the bank at the time.

Minutes after police arrived, Matviak said the suspect tried to run from an officer and eventually jumped into a getaway car.

"His direction of travel and his reckless manner of driving was a key factor in this. We needed to stop this guy," Matviak said.

The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into a police cruiser near State Road 46A and Rinehart Road, police said.

Ricardo Rodriguez was taken into custody with non-life-threatening injuries and Wells Fargo employee Brandon Lee Mojica was arrested on charges related to the robbery, according to Lake Mary police.

Police said Mojica conspired with Rodriguez to commit the robbery.

The FBI is taking over the investigation.
 


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