A man was charged following Monday’s armed robbery at M&T Bank in Sweden, an incident that unfolded like a scene from a movie, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The robbery took place just after 4 p.m. at M&T Bank, located at 6560 Fourth Section Road in Sweden. Deputies say a man entered the bank brandishing a gun, forced nearly everyone inside into a restroom, and then took two employees to the vault.
The suspect stole $452,000 in cash, according to Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter.
After the robbery, the man fled in a blue Honda Civic, which broke down minutes later on Lake Road near the intersection of Routes 18 and 19 in Hamlin.
Around 40 minutes after the robbery, a concerned citizen called 911 after seeing a man wiping down and removing the license plates from the Civic, about seven miles south of the bank. A black SUV was also spotted nearby.
Deputies quickly located two men and the black SUV in the Tops Plaza in Hamlin. They also recovered the stolen cash and other evidence linking them to the robbery, deputies said.
Sheriff Baxter praised the deputies and the observant citizen who reported the suspicious activity.
John Savage, 49, of Rochester, was charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree grand larceny, both felonies. The second man was released.
“This was a well-planned operation, except for the blue car,” said Investigator Sgt. David Bolton during a news conference. He added that neither suspect had an extensive criminal history, and the robbery did not appear to be part of any larger scheme.
Deputies continue to investigate the case, having reviewed hundreds of hours of video footage.
Additional charges are pending.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New details released in dramatic M&T Bank robbery in Sweden NY