Car Dealership Key In Catching Suspected Bank Robber

Ordinary people help nab a suspected bank robber. A Wagoner man is behind bars, accused of robbing a local bank and leading police on a high speed chase on Wednesday. Police in Wagoner say the suspect went on a little shopping trip before the heist. The News On 6's Ashli Sims reports it was one of his purchases and the saleswoman who helped police track him down.

A retired Wagoner grandmother says she's lived 59 years of relative obscurity until a suspected bank robber walked into her life.

Wagoner Motors is usually in the business of selling cars, but one sale Wednesday afternoon got them into a little crime-fighting. Donna Frazier says a man came to the lot wanting to buy a white Lincoln Towncar.

"He said I have eight $100 bills and I said, 'that'll be fine.' And I go to start pulling out paperwork and he said, 'I don't have time for that.' And I said, 'scuse me?' And he said, ' I don't have time for that. I have to get to the bank, before it closes,'" said Donna Frazier of Wagoner Motors.

Frazier said he seemed like a nice guy, just in a rush.

"So, I said well, leave me some information and I'll fill out the paperwork. You go ahead and go to the bank, and I'll fill it all out. And, when you get back I'll have you sign everything," said Donna Frazier of Wagoner Motors.

While Frazier was doing the paperwork, police say Manuelito Osborne went to the Wagoner Arvest Bank, two blocks away, and robbed it. Dozens of police officers swarmed the bank. And, that caught the eye of Wagoner Motors' owner.

"We kinda joked about it and I said hey maybe he'll come buy a car, cause he was close by. At the time, we didn't think anything of it," said Chuck Freeman of Wagoner Motors.

Then, Freeman called Donna Frazier to share the news about the bank robbery.

"And then, he said that I thought, this was a Mexican gentleman that I sold the car to who had to get out of here and go to the bank before it closed. And I'm like oh, chuck! I think I know who robbed it," said Donna Frazier of Wagoner Motors.

Freeman and Frazier told the police their story, identified Osborne, and gave them a description of the car. Officers caught up with him down the street from the bank.

"They're chasing him around the Wal-Mart parking lot and it was just Barnum and Bailey Circus cause everybody's chasing him, and the cars are going back and forth," said Chuck Freeman of Wagoner Motors.

Osborne slipped through the officers' clutches at the Wal-Mart parking lot. He headed south on Highway 69 before crashing into a ditch.

"And the guy, I guess, was a little scared cause he had an accident in his pants during this process," said Chuck Freeman of Wagoner Motors.

Wagoner Police arrested Osborne and he's being held on charges of armed robbery, eluding arrest, and assault and battery.

It's a bizarre story, but law enforcement officials say it was a serious matter. The robbery and the chase put several dozen officers in danger, not to mention the other drivers on the road.