A Seattle bank teller who chased down a would-be bank robber thwarted the theft, but ended up getting fired as a result.

Last Tuesday, a man walked into a Key Bank branch in the city, placed a bag on the counter and demanded money from 30-year-old teller Jim Nicholson. But instead of handing over the cash, Nicholson asked the man where "it" is, referring to a weapon. When the man didn't answer, Nicholson lunged after the man, who ran out of the bank.

Nicholson, with the help of a pedestrian, caught the man after chasing him for several blocks and knocked him to the ground. He held him down and waited for police to arrive, he told the Seattle Times.

But Nicholson's reward was termination because he violated the bank's policy of not giving in to robbers' demands. Police and bank officials say trying to stop robberies puts employees and customers at risk.

Nicholson, who had been with the bank for two years, said he had no hard feelings because he understood the policy. But he also said his concern that the man might rob another bank overwhelmed his desire to comply with the rule.

The would-be robber was described by local media as a 29-year-old transient with a long criminal record.