Kent Police arrested a 27-year-old Kent man after he allegedly robbed a person at an ATM, tried to rob a bank and took luggage from a downtown business.
Officers were dispatched at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 for a robbery in progress at a downtown bank, according to a Kent Police news release. Police did not disclose the name or address of the bank.
Officers were told that the suspect had fled on foot towards the Kent Library.
The man reportedly had entered the bank and attempted to rob a teller, but fled when she pushed an alarm. Upon arrival, the officers located a woman who stated that the suspect had stepped up to the bank’s ATM, where the victim was conducting a transaction, and forcibly took $300 out of her account.
Kent officers and supervisors as well as Police Chief Rafael Padilla and Mayor Dana Ralph, who happened to be riding back from a meeting in the chief’s vehicle, flooded the area to look for the suspect. The King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter circled overhead to help search for the suspect.
A K-9 unit also responded to assist. Officers quickly began to search and investigate and looking for any video to assist in a suspect description.
Two officers were searching in the direction the suspect was last seen, and located him at First Avenue South running from two employees of a local business.
The officers arrested the man without incident and reportedly recovered three $100 bills in his possession.
In addition to the reported attempted bank robbery and robbery at the ATM, the man allegedly had attempted to steal about $2,000 worth of luggage/contents from a business on First Avenue South. This was witnessed by the two employees who gave chase, and he dropped the items just prior to being caught by police.
Officers booked the man into King County’s Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent for investigation of two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree theft.
“We want to thank the Kent residents who either chased the suspect and/or gave info on his last direction of travel,” police said in the news release.
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