TV Reporter Spots Minnesota Bank Robbery Suspect on Live TV

A Minnesota television reporter doing a segment on a bank robbery spotted on live TV the alleged robber fleeing the scene after he returned and robbed the same bank again.

Adam Sallet, a reporter with KIMT-TV, was doing a live news report Tuesday outside the Sterling State Bank in Rochester, Minnesota, when a bank employee came running out of the building, having spotted the suspect, who was off camera.

“That guy right there. That’s the robber,” the employee said, pointing.

“Oh, that’s the robber,” replied Sallet, who was clearly taken aback, though he dealt with the situation professionally. “This is live TV, folks,” he said. “That’s the robber, just went by, according to the bank employee. So, I’ve got to go here and call 911. I’ll talk to you later.”
The suspect initially got away, but police caught up to him later on Tuesday near the Twin Cities, north of Rochester, reports KAAL-TV. Police arrested the man, who was identified as Ryan Russell Liskow, 36.

“Fortunately for us, we had a police officer that was returning from a Twin Cities training class and he spotted the [suspect’s] van on Highway 52 and called it in,” Rochester police lieutenant Mike Sadauskis said.

Police told the Rochester Post-Bulletin that Sallet’s eyewitness account was useful in apprehending Liskow.

He “obviously had information right away,” said Rochester police captain John Sherwin, and was “able to provide a vehicle description, which already matched the vehicle we were looking for, so we knew right away that this was very likely the same guy that hit [the bank on Monday].”

Sallet later reflected on the bizarre turn of events.

“I was on edge already because that guy was a little suspicious,” he told The Post-Bulletin. “Then I thought, ‘Holy smokes, that just happened, and I have to report on it and be a witness.’ ”

Sterling State Bank said in a statement that it was “thankful that none of our employees were harmed during the robberies that took place at our North Rochester office. We are also grateful for the fast, professional response from law enforcement in arresting a suspect in these robberies. It is our sincere hope that this individual will not be able to cause any further harm.”

This article originally appeared on People.com.