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Grandmother chases suspected bank robbers

Posted at 4:29 PM, Apr 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-06 18:17:18-04

A woman who witnessed bank robbers getting away is receiving a small cash reward.

The woman from Chelsea doesn't want to be identified but said, "This is my bank. This is my money and my town."

She is being called a hero after following bank robbers as they fled with money. The 63-year-old doesn't want to be identified but tells us she sprang into action.

"I felt right away something was wrong. They didn't belong there. As they were walking they were dropping money."

It happened October 2013 at Key Bank on Chelsea Manchester Rd.

The two armed men drove off in separate cars, while she was in the parking lot.

That's when she called 911 and followed one of the suspects.

"I was really really angry. I had no fear."

She drove from the bank to I-94, at one point she was going more than 90 miles an hour in her Ford Focus.

"That was the worry I had that my car was going to break down or throw me to the side," she explained. "The car was shaking and I was driving with my left hand and the phone on the right hand. I was focusing on not losing them."

Police came right away and apprehended the suspects.

FBI Spokesperson Jill Washburn explained, "We want people to be concerned about their own safety. This is not something that just anyone or everyone can do but we are very grateful. To take it to the level she did, extraordinary."

Turns out the two men were responsible for six other violent bank robberies.

"It's something I'm glad that I've done," the woman added. "I didn't want to have the regret of knowing that these people could have gone to another bank and have a tragic ending to it."

The woman said she doesn't regret taking a risk to help, but did feel bad about one thing.

She apologized to the 911 operator for speeding as she chased down the suspects.