Police apprehended the suspect in the robbery of a credit union a short time after the holdup Thursday afternoon in Spring Township.
Officers quickly set up a perimeter and canvassed the Lincoln Park neighborhood following the 4:45 p.m. holdup of nearby First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union at Route 724 and Cloister Court.
They spotted the suspect, later identified as Omar J. Dickens, 53, of Philadelphia, but he ran off, Deputy Police Chief Stephen Brock said.
Officers found him a short time later hiding under a camper in a backyard and took him into custody, he said.
All of the missing funds were accounted for at the time of arrest. An amount was not provided.
Dickens was charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.
He was committed to Berks County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail following arraignment Friday morning before District Judge Ann L. Young in Wernersville.