A Davenport business owner got more than she bargained for Monday morning, after seeing a bank robbery suspect walk right by her. Tracy Pettett owns The Added Touch in the East Village and said she had just gotten to work when the suspect made his escape.
"He was actually probably about five feet away from me,looking back I was very frightened," Pettett said.
Police said the suspect, 31-year old Ceneca Johnson, displayed a gun inside the Southeast National Bank in the Village of East Davenport, before walking out with an undisclosed amount of cash, right past Pettett. Pettett said she was talking with a fellow business owner when they both realized something was up.
"He was heading toward East 11th street and basically when he saw us, Connie and I were just in shock, because he was wearing dark clothes and had on a bandana, which is obviously not normal."
Pettett said he was also carrying a bag which was clearly full of cash.
"You could see the rectangle shape of the bundled money, you could actually see what was inside the bag."
Pettett said she immediately called 911, and within minutes nearly a dozen officers saturated the area.
"Basically they boxed him in," she said.
Police said Johnson tried to hide in the trees and bushes, but officers soon spotted him and after a short chase he was caught on a hillside between Mound and Hilldreth street.
"The wooded area where police were able to catch him is located right behind me," Pettett said.
She said knowing the robber was captured makes her feel a lot safer.
"We were elated. It was one of those things, had he not been caught during the day, I would have been concerned all day long, to the point of not even wanting to have our business doors open until he was captured."
