PALM VALLEY, Fla. – A man accused of using a large hunting knife to rob the Wachovia Bank on county Road 210 Thursday morning was arrested as he walked out the door, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Eduard Vuka, 33, an Armenian resident illegally in the United States, entered the bank just after 9 a.m., pulled a large knife and acted very aggressive and erratic as he demanded cash.
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"Inside the bank, he grabbed one of the bank employees and held that individual against their will for a short period of time," St. Johns County Sgt. Chuck Mulligan said.
Someone inside the bank triggered an alarm, and two nearby deputies were in position outside the bank by the time the man came out eight minutes later. Vuka was ordered to drop the knife, which he did without incident.
Vuka, who gave his address as San Pablo Road in Jacksonville, was handcuffed and taken to the St. Johns County jail and charged with armed robbery, false imprisonment and grand theft.
Mulligan said the man, whose name has not been released, has confessed to the robbery. The sheriff's office notified the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency about Vuka's status.