BOTHELL, Wash. – The lone suspect in an aggressive armed robbery today of the Heritage Bank, located in the 20600 block of Bothell Everett Highway in unincorporated Bothell, WA, was apprehended in Lynnwood, WA by Deputies from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Officers of the Lynnwood Police Department. The suspect, a 46 year old male from Mountlake Terrace, WA, was taken into custody after being cornered in the Lynnwood Fred Meyer. The store is located in the 4600 block of 196 ST SW, Lynnwood, WA.
The incident began when employees from the Heritage Bank called 9-1-1, at approximately 12:00 PM today, to report there was a male in the safe robbing the bank. Bank employees described the suspect as aggressive, threatening, and armed with a handgun. Witnesses observed the male leave the bank on a bicycle with an undisclosed amount of cash. As Deputies, from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, were responding to the bank, information of a suspicious looking van parked nearby the bank was received. A Washington license plate was provided and responding Deputies spotted the van on 196 ST SW near Interstate 5 in Lynnwood. Deputies attempted to stop the van and a short vehicle pursuit was initiated with the driver fleeing the area westbound on 196 ST SW toward the Lynnwood Fred Meyer store. The driver of the van drove into the Fred Meyer parking lot, jumped out of the van, and ran into the store. Officers from the Lynnwood Police Department assisted Deputies from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in safely containing the store and then quickly making entry to locate the driver. Witnesses inside of the store directed responding Deputies and Officers to the driver location in the grocery portion of the store, where he was taken into custody without incident. A store employee observed the driver toss, what appeared to be, a gun on the floor as he was running through the store. Evidence observed inside of the van and evidence gathered in the store support the driver being the suspect from the bank robbery in Bothell.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) is the lead investigative authority along with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Correctional Facility today on one count of Robbery First Degree. Investigators with the FBI have reason to believe this suspect is the same person wanted in connection with a Lake Forest Park, WA Chase Bank robbery yesterday. Investigators are working with the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office for an exceptional bail while additional investigation is conducted in connection with this serious crime. Robbery First Degree is a Class A Felony and if convicted, a defendant can receive confinement in a state correctional institution for a term of life imprisonment, or a fine in an amount fixed by the court of fifty thousand dollars, or both.
