SEATTLE - Whether it was chance or fate, a bodybuilder and an accused serial robber wound up in the same bank at the same moment.

Todd Jewell and his wife were waiting in the lobby of Banner Bank in Lynnwood on Friday.

"We weren't in there maybe more than 10 or 15 minutes when this all took place," said Jewell.

As Jewell stood inside, a masked robber broke through the doors and began screaming at a teller.  The FBI said the robber has used the same MO eight times in the past two months.

"You've got to be kidding me, this is a bank robbery," said Jewell. "It was just very surreal. I couldn't believe it was actually happening."

Jewell sized up the robber and didn't see a gun. He also didn't see much of a threat.

"He was about half my size," he said.

When the robber lunged toward a teller, Jewell surprised him from behind. They fought, and predictably, Jewell won.

The FBI would later tell him he'd captured a notorious criminal dubbed the "Old School Bandit," who had eluded special agents like Larry Carr for weeks.

"Literally catching him in the act, inside the bank, and being able to link him to the others, I couldn't think of a better turnout for the investigation," said Carr.

After more than a decade in the gym, all that strength training truly paid off.

"I'm a little embarrassed. I'm a little modest," said Jewell. "I'm just glad I could help."