LARGO, Florida (FOX 13) -A bank robber in Pinellas County learned the hard way that crime never pays, when his attempted robbery was foiled by a local MMA instructor and business owner.
Eric Haritakis, nicknamed the 'Ginja Ninja' by friends for his red hair and swift moves, was at the Grow Financial Federal Credit Union on Friday to make a deposit for his health food delivery company, Zen Body Foods, when a man robbed one of the tellers.
"The teller was empty. She yelled to the other woman across the bank, 'Hey, that guy just robbed me'…and I just kind of ran out of the door," Haritakis recalled.
Surveillance video from a neighboring UPS Store showed Haritakis sprinting after the suspect. Haritakis chased the man, later identified as 31-year-old Michael Jon Neubecker, around the side of the building.
"I don't really know what I was thinking at that time. I just kind of went for it. I figured if he had a weapon, he probably would have pulled it out at that point," Haritakis continued.
Several minutes later, shoppers and store employees saw Haritakis guiding Neubecker back to the front of the bank.
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Haritakis held Neubecker on the ground until police arrived. He described 'hog-tying' the man in order to hold him still.
"I asked the UPS people if they had zip ties. They didn't have zip ties, but the place next door had duct tape," said Hartikas.
What he did not realize in the moment was that a serial bank robber, armed and dangerous, had hit at least eight banks from Pinellas to Pasco County over the last few months.
The FBI and Fifth Third Bank are offering a reward totaling $20,000 for an arrest in those cases.
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A good story from my neck of the woods \m/
