Bank Robbery Suspect Jumps Off 5 Story Building

PASADENA -- Police have identified a suspected bank robber who jumped off a five story parking complex in an attempt to evade police.

Pasadena police say they received a call at 9:16 a.m. Monday morning of a bank robbery at the Cal National Bank on South Lake Avenue.

Someone inside the bank saw the robbery in progress and called police.

That same civilian ran after the suspect and kept officers updated on the man's whereabouts via cell phone, according to Pasadena Police spokeswoman Janet Pope Givens.

Givens says the man walked up to a teller saying he had a weapon, but no one inside the bank saw the weapon. He fled through an area known as "The Commons" and into a five story parking structure. It's unclear if he got away with any money.

Police were able to seal off the structure and were searching it for the suspect when they spotted him on the third floor. The man then ran to the top of the structure, according to police. As officers were approaching him, he jumped and landed on the concrete below.

Alex Madrigal, a plumber who was working across the street, witnessed the entire incident. "I heard some commotion and looked up. I saw the man on the top of the structure. He was facing backwards and then suddenly jumped off and landed on the ground below."

Pasadena police identified the suspected bank robber as 30 year old Jason Arnold of Los Angeles.

Arnold is on active parole and has a prior arrest for robbery, according to police. Detectives are investigating the case and are looking into other robberies in the city to determine if he might be a suspect.

Once Arnold is released from the hospital, where he is hospitalized with multiple fractures, he will be arrested and booked for bank robbery and felony evading, police said.