KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A customer apparently foiled an attempted robbery at the TVA Employees Credit Union in Bearden on Thursday afternoon.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. at the branch located in Bearden Center.

Mack Fraser told Volunteer TV News that he was getting into his car after making a payment on the vehicle at the credit union. Moments after closing the door he noticed a man walking toward the bank and putting on a black toboggan. A half second later he realized it was actually a ski mask that covered the man’s whole face.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘this isn't really happening,’ and he went into the credit union,” said Fraser, who is a home designer from Knoxville. “I could see him in and around the counters with clerks, motioning and waving his hands. He was wearing rubber gloves. I was in shock.”

According to police, the man walked up to a teller and demanded cash. They apparently noticed he didn’t have a weapon and refused. That was when he allegedly pushed a teller out of the way and went around the counter. All the cash drawers were locked up though, leaving him no choice but to retreat.

"I waited a moment and then he came back out,” said Fraser. “He was probably in there 30 seconds at the most and went right back out the way he came in. He walked back up the sidewalk toward Kingston Pike.”

Fraser then watched the masked man get behind the wheel of an SUV and pull onto Kingston Pike. He was no longer wearing the mask or gloves and looked casual. That’s when Fraser called the police, reported the robbery and began following the SUV. He stayed on the phone with dispatchers as he followed the suspect.

Police caught up about 20 minutes later and pulled the suspect over on I-75 northbound near Merchants Drive.

The Knoxville Police Department said the suspect is Scott Andrew Jackson, 43. Jackson is a Knoxville resident who is originally from Georgia. Officers apparently found evidence from the robbery in his car and they have since charged him with attempted robbery. He was booked into the Knox County Dentition Center on a $7,500 bond.

Officers also praised Fraser for helping catch Jackson. They particularly admired how he managed to keep safely away from the fleeing suspect while also helping in his apprehension.