Man awarded medal for foiling bank robbery in 2010 now accused of robbing a different bank

A man from Portland, Oregon, awarded a medal from the Portland Police Bureau five years ago for disarming a would-be bank robber now faces bank robbery charges of his own. Mark Rothwell was taken into custody shortly after the Wednesday afternoon robbery of Albina Community Bank, according to a federal complaint filed Thursday in US District Court. "It's me you want," the 49-year-old told arresting officers. Rothwell last crossed paths with Portland police in March 2010. He was one of two customers left inside a Chase branch inside the Hollywood Fred Meyer in Northeast Portland about five minutes before its 7pm closing.



The former Londoner had visited the bank to ask about exchange rates in anticipation of a trip back to England. A man walked in, pulled out a gun, which turned out to be a fake, and demanded cash. Seeing terror on the teller's face, Rothwell jumped at the man, knocked the gun away and held him down until police arrived. The following June, the Portland Police Bureau presented Rothwell with a Civilian Medal for Heroism for his actions. On Wednesday, the Albina teller told police that a man walked into the lobby carrying a gun in his right hand and said, "Give me all your cash," as he pointed the gun back and forth from one teller to another.

The tellers did as they were told, putting $15,703 in a "rope-cinched bag." One teller told Portland Detective Brett S. Hawkinson that the robber had a 2-inch cross tattoo on his neck, a 5 o'clock shadow and European accent. Hawkinson reviewed the surveillance video, which showed the suspect had not covered his face. Shortly after the robbery, police received information that the stolen cash was inside a running, unoccupied white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck nearby. The license plate on the truck was actually registered to a 2002 Audi sedan. Officer James West recovered a white bag containing a large quantity of cash, a black knitted cap, black gloves and a 9mm Beretta handgun



With the help of tracking dog, officers were led to a backyard of a home and confronted a man there. During the confrontation, another man identified as Mark Rothwell stepped out from behind the house. "It's me you want," Rothwell said, according to court documents. When Officer Scherise Hobbs asked him why, records show, Rothwell replied, "I just robbed the bank." Both tellers later identified Rothwell as the robber, and Hawkinson identified Rothwell as the suspect from the surveillance footage. "it appears to be an unfortunate turn of events in this man's life," said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland police spokesman. Rothwell is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on Thursday.