A man from Port St. Lucie is in police custody following a bank robbery in Fellsmere on Thursday morning.
The robbery unfolded at around 10:20 a.m., prompting a response from the Fellsmere Police Department (FPD) and the sheriff’s office to the iThink Financial bank at 54 N. Broadway Street, Fellsmere.
During their response to the triggered bank alarm, IRCSO Dispatch reported an active robbery at the bank, with the perpetrator last spotted fleeing eastward and later seen escaping in a gray Mazda Miata.
While FPD secured the crime scene and offered necessary assistance, Indian River County deputies traced the suspect on I-95 southbound. The pursuit continued into St. Lucie County, culminating in the suspect’s collision with another vehicle at South 13th Street and Georgia Avenue, Ft. Pierce.
The bank robber was identified as David Abram Ziesel, a 44-year-old resident of Port St. Lucie. Following the crash, Ziesel received medical attention for serious injuries at Lawnwood Hospital, Ft. Pierce. Charges pending against him extend beyond robbery.
During the heist, Ziesel reportedly did not brandish a weapon and ensured no harm to bank staff. He demanded cash to be filled in a pillowcase he carried, escaping with an undisclosed sum.
The nearby Fellsmere Elementary School, situated two blocks west of the bank and operational during the robbery, underwent a lockdown enforced by an IRCSO School Resource Deputy until the situation was under control.
Charges against Ziesel will include aggravated fleeing and eluding, on top of robbery charges filed by the Fellsmere Police Department.
The collaborative effort of the Fellsmere Police Department, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol was instrumental in Ziesel’s capture within 30 minutes.
All stolen funds were retrieved.
Ziesel, known to law enforcement with a substantial criminal record, is currently under federal probation for a 2019 armed bank robbery in Ohio.
