Citizens help Kent Police arrest woman, 53, for bank robbery

Kent Police arrested a 53-year-old Des Moines woman following the robbery of an East Kent credit union Jan. 11. No one was hurt in the robbery and police were able to recover a quantity of evidence and money.

Officers were sent to the Alaska USA Credit Union shortly after 4 p.m. The bank branch is located inside a Fred Meyer store at 10201 S.E. 240th Street. Reports indicated that a woman entered the bank and demanded money before fleeing. Another customer in the bank was alerted to the robbery and followed the suspect outside.

As the woman walked away from the scene, that witness pointed her out to two men passing by in a vehicle. He instructed them to follow the woman while he returned to the bank. Those men called 9-1-1 while she entered a car and drove away from the scene. They provided a description and directions to police dispatchers who relayed the information to responding officers. Police caught up to the woman within minutes and took her into custody without incident.

The suspect is currently being held on Robbery charges at the City of Kent Corrections Facility. Detectives will be following up with witnesses today, as well as conducting a search of the woman’s car. Police are also comparing notes with the FBI and other police agencies to see if the suspect may be involved in other robberies.

Kent Police credit the quick arrest in this case to the observations and actions of several witnesses. Kent Police Lieutenant Tracey Gurr noted “While we don’t encourage the public to follow criminals because of the danger they present, we greatly appreciate the efforts these witnesses made in guiding our officers to the suspect”. As a general rule, Kent Police ask that people with information about criminal activity obtain detailed descriptions and promptly report their information to police.