CAUGHT: Alleged Bank Robber Arrested at La Quinta Inn

The man who allegedly robbed the Pawtucket Credit Union in Cranston Friday morning is spending the weekend behind bars.

Cranston Police Major Robert W. Ryan said 27-year-old Mason Deangelus was taken into custody after a brief struggle at the Warwick La Quinta Inn, where he had just checked in.

He is now being charged with first-degree robbery and will be arraigned at Cranston Police Headquarters tonight.

It all began Friday at 10:35 a.m. when police were dispatched to the credit union after Deangelus allegedly handed a teller a note that demanded money and said he was armed.

He fled on foot and police quickly collected video surveillance footage from both the credit union and a nearby business, which captured not only his image, but the apparent getaway car.

Cranston Detectives Paula Duffy and Joseph Hopkins led the investigation that started with distributing the images of both the suspect and the getaway car on the Rhode Island Most Wanted Web site and local media outlets. 

It didn't take long for Cranston Police Det. John Cardone to get a tip about a potential ID on the suspect.

Dets. Duffy and Hopkins "then worked very closely with Warwick detectives" to positively ID the suspect as Deangelus. They quickly determined that he had no permanant address and was " likely drifting from local hotel to local hotel. This information proved to be fruitful as Warwick and Cranston Detectives learned that Deangelus had just checked in to the La Quinta Inn and Suites located at 36 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick," Ryan said.

Detectives "worked in a collaborative effort and made contact with Deangelus in his hotel room" this afternoon, Ryan said, and he was soon taken into custody after a brief struggle.

"Officers observed in plain view, the clothing worn by Deangelus during the Cranston robbery as well as a large amount of U.S. currency; all of which was seized as evidence," Ryan said.

During the investigation, police learned that Deangelus "is no stranger to the criminal justice system," Ryan said, and has two outstanding court warrants in addition to being wanted for the robbery, describing the robbery as "just the most recent of his transgression of the law."

“This is yet another classic example of how the collaboration of law enforcement resources and the timely sharing of critical information pay immediate dividends," Ryan said. "Between the hard work of our detectives in Cranston and Warwick, coupled with invaluable input from our partners in state and federal law enforcement, this dangerous felon has been brought to justice quickly and efficiently”.