Local News

Bank robber in painting mask. (Seattle police photo)

Seattle police are looking for the man who donned a painter’s mask this morning to rob a Wells Fargo bank branch in the Georgetown neighborhood.

The man walked into the bank in the 5900 block of Corson Avenue South just before 11 a.m. and handed the teller a note demanding cash. After collecting an undisclosed amount of cash, the masked man fled on foot, walking west on South Michigan.

No weapon was seen or implied, police said.

The robber, who was about 6 feet tall and in his 30s, wore the mask over his nose and mouth, as well as a burgundy hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He was also carrying a  blue duffel bag.

The masked man counts his loot before he makes his getaway. (Seattle police photo)

Surveillance photo of the man who tried to rob a Key Bank branch in downtown Seattle this morning. (Seattle police photos)

Do you recognize this guy?

Seattle police say he walked into a Key Bank branch near Second Avenue and Columbia Street around 9:20 this morning, threatened a clerk and demanded money before fleeing. He must have been in an awful hurry because he left without taking any cash, according to police.

Another photo of the bank robber.

The man was about 5-feet-5 with short blond hair. He was carrying a package under his arm and was possibly wearing a Capt. America T-shirt.

If you recognize him, contact the SPD’s Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535.

Surveillance photo of Key Bank robber. (Seattle police photo)

Seattle police are searching for this man (right) after he robbed a Key Bank branch in Wedgwood a short time ago.

The man walked into the bank in the 7300 block of 35th Avenue Northeast at about 9:45 a.m., pointed a gun at a teller and jumped over the counter. After taking cash from the teller’s drawer, he left the bank and ran south, police said

The man is about 5-feet-9 and 140 pounds. He wore a black hooded jacket, blue jeans and a partial black mask over the lower part of his face.  He was also carrying a black backpack. His race is unknown.

Officers are currently searching the area, prompting some area schools to go on lockdown.

Seattle police believe this man, the so-called Jimmy Buffett Bandit, robbed at least nine banks before he was caught Thursday night. (Seattle Police Department photo)

Seattle police have arrested a man they’ve been calling the “Jimmy Buffett Bandit” since he robbed a bank in September sporting a thick mustache, pony tail and Hawaiian shirt.

The 44-year-old man was caught Thursday evening around 5:30 p.m. when trying to rob a US Bank near Westlake Avenue and 8th Avenue North, according to the Seattle Police Department. This time he was wearing a ski mask and threatened to shoot the bank clerk from whom he’d demanded cash.

As the bank clerk handed money over to the suspect, a security guard sneaked behind him and knocked the gun — which turned out to be fake — out of his hand. The suspect and security guard wrestled on the floor until the guard overpowered him.

When police arrived, the guard had the man pinned down on a floor strewn with cash, according to the department.

Robbery detectives believe the man arrested Thursday night is the same man who has committed at least nine robberies in Seattle, Bellevue, Covington, Kirkland and Lacey since September.

“Margaritas will be hard to come by where he’s going,” wrote Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on SPD’s online blotter.

Police say this bank robber, who spoke with an African or French accent, robbed an Everett bank Wednesday. (Everett Police Department photo)

Police are asking for help finding a man who robbed an Everett bank Wednesday evening.

The man walked into a Wells Fargo at 1801 Broadway Ave. just before 6 p.m. and asked the teller if the bank cashed checks, according to the Everett Police Department.

The man then leaned close and pushed forward a note demanding money and threatening to kill the teller if police were notified. The robber then walked out of the bank with the money, and police believe he left in a vehicle.

The man, who spoke with an African or French accent, is described as black, 20-30 years old, about 5-foot-11, around 160 pounds with shoulder-length black dreadlocks. He wore a dark blue hat, dark blue denim jacket, bluejeans and brown shoes.

Everett police ask anyone with information about the man or incident to call 911 or the department’s tip line at 425-257-8450.

They could also call Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 800-222-TIPS.

An armed robber wearing a fake mustache struck a Chase Bank located inside a Red Apple Market in Kirkland Tuesday. (FBI photo)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for the so-called Mustachioed Bandit who committed an armed robbery of a Kirkland bank Tuesday.

The robber demanded cash from a Chase Bank located inside a Red Apple Market in the 6600 block of 132nd Avenue Northeast and fled the scene in a minivan, which he entered on the passenger side. The vehicle is described as a late 90s or early 2000s, forest-green Dodge or Plymouth Voyager.

The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male in his 20s standing between 5-foot-4 and 6 feet. He weighs between 145 and 190 pounds and was wearing a fake mustache during the robbery. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 206-622-0460 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and charge, but only to people who call them with information before calling the FBI.

Magnolia bank robber. (Seattle police photo)

Seattle police are looking for this man after he robbed a Magnolia bank at gunpoint this morning.

The man, dressed in a yellow jacket, mask and sunglasses, walked into the U.S. Bank branch on 31st Avenue and West McGraw Street just after 11 a.m., brandished a gun and ordered customers and bank employees to get on the floor.

The man left the bank with a bag of cash.

Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (206) 684-5535.

Four men believed to be linked to a Shoreline bank robbery were arrested Tuesday afternoon near Seattle police headquarters.

A Seattle police officer spotted a vehicle driving south on Interstate 5 near James Street that was believed to be linked to the 3:36 p.m. robbery at the Chase Bank in the 18200 block of Midvale Avenue North in Shoreline, said police spokesman Jeff Kappel.

Police converged on the white 2001 Ford Crown Victoria when it was stopped near Sixth Avenue and James Street, close to Seattle Police headquarters All four men inside were taken into custody, police said.

Nobody was injured in the robbery.

Tacoma bank robber’s unique disguise. (Tacoma police photo)

Tacoma police say this man robbed a bank on the city’s north side earlier today.

At 11:25 a.m., the masked man walked into a Key Bank branch in the 3900 block of North 26th Street and demanded cash from the tellers.  The man took the money and ran out of the bank, police said.

He is described as a white male, approximately 5-feet-11, with a medium build and a long blond beard.  He wore light blue jeans, a green shirt, a plaid coat with a dark blue hood, light blue gloves.

If you recognize the man, or maybe the beard, call 253-591-5959. Callers will remain anonymous and could collect a $1,000 reward.

Police are searching for a man who used a handgun to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Kirkland tonight.

The bank robber hit the Juanita Village Wells Fargo bank at 9750 N.E. 117th Lane at about 5:30 p.m. while several customers and employees were inside, according to the Kirkland Police Department. He left on foot carrying a black bag. Police have not been able to track where he went so far.

He’s described as a thin, white male about 30 to 40 years of age who is 5-foot-10, has blue eyes and light eyebrows. He wore a black half-mask pulled up over his mouth and nose and a blue hooded jacket.

Police have not implied a connection with a bank robbery in Renton yesterday, but pictures of the Renton bank robber show he was also a thin, white male wearing a blue hooded jacket who committed the crime at the same time of day.