Police Give More Details in Suspected Carjacker, Bank Robber Arrest

Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, carjacking and bank robbery suspect Stephanie Lynn Schwab walked into the BB&T bank in the Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean and passed a note to a teller that demanded money.

None was handed over and she fled, said Fairfax County police, who released more details of the circumstances surrounding Schwab's arrest late Wednesday afternoon.

"I saw her running out of the bank. . . I was shocked to see someone running out of the bank," said Christopher Chewning, an employee at the Sherwin Williams paint store

He saw the woman jump in a car. She took a right turn on Dominion Drive driving North. Then he heard the bank alarm sound. He returned to the store. Moments later the police cars started arriving, he said.

The suspect’s vehicle was described as a blue Ford Escape. An officer spotted the vehicle on I-495 at short time later. He followed the vehicle into Montgomery County, Md., where it She fled on foot but was apprehended by the Fairfax County officer, police said.

There were no injuries. After positively identifying the suspect as Schwab, police are continuing to investigate with the FBI.

Schwab is a suspect in and was wanted by several other jurisdictions for bank robberies and attempted carjackings,

Police said Schwab's spree began when she robbed a bank in Prince William County Nov. 18. The next day, Schwab approached a woman in the Tysons II Galleria parking lot and asked for a ride to a gas station, police said. The victim agreed to give Schwab a ride in her Acura, police said, and as they drove away, Schwab pulled out a knife and demanded that the victim leave the car.

Police also connected Schwab to