MONROE — The shorts worn by the gardener first caught Mitch Ruth’s attention.
“I thought I was the only idiot who sprays toxic chemicals in shorts,” Ruth said.
Then Ruth watched in disbelief as a well-planned heist unfolded across the street in the parking lot of the Bank of America in Monroe.
The gardener turned out to be part of an elaborate armored truck robbery that led to a manhunt Tuesday along the banks of the Skykomish River. A Brinks security guard was maced in the holdup. A bag of cash and the robber disappeared.
The robber may have used an inner tube to float to a clean getaway, police said. He was seen running into the river toward the tube, about a quarter mile from the bank. Police later found the inner tube about 200 yards from where the man went into the water.
They believe the suspect was picked up by a waiting vehicle, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said.
Ruth was on the phone just after 11 a.m. at his family’s real estate office on Old Owen Road. He was absentmindedly watching the bank when he noticed a man wearing a surgical mask and gloves carrying a spray pump. Ruth thought maybe the guy was spraying chemicals on weeds outside the bank.
The man stepped from behind the bushes. He wore cutoff blue jeans.
“That’s weird,” Ruth thought.
Then things got weirder.
The man dropped the pump and made a beeline for an armored truck guard who was just leaving the bank.
“It was like a football scrimmage,” Ruth said. “He ran right for him and was wrestling the guard for the money.”
Ruth stood up from his desk.
“Gotta go. There’s a bank robbery,” he told the person on the other end of the phone. He scrambled to dial 911.
The robber pulled out a hairspray-can-sized bottle of mace and let loose. The spray created a 10- to 12-foot cloud.
“He got him solid in the face,” said Ruth, a Monroe city councilman.
The robber bolted across the street, cash bag in hand.
Ruth ran out the back of the realty office, still talking to the 911 operator.
“I thought, ‘There’s nowhere for him to go,’” Ruth said. “I guess there was.”
The man kept a grip on the money bag as he ripped off a baseball cap, wig and mask. Ruth, 51, yelled at him to stop. He ran after the thief.
“The mind was willing but, well, he was faster,” said Ruth, who was wearing tasseled loafers on Tuesday.
Ruth lost sight of the man as he headed into Eagle Park on Woods Creek. The creek feeds into the Skykomish River.
Monroe police swarmed to different spots on the river. A police helicopter and a tracking dog joined in the search.
Police believe the man had a lookout at the bank. A witness reported seeing a man parked outside watching through binoculars.
“It appears to be very well-planned,” Willis said.
The inner tube, found along the riverbank, was collected as evidence. Police believe it was part of the scheme, but on Tuesday weren’t sure whether it was actually used in the getaway or just at the river as backup.
The security guard was treated by medics at the scene. His eyes were visibly red and swollen.
Crime-scene tape kept back onlookers and bank customers who were turned away for the day, as police collected evidence and spoke with witnesses.
Bob Smith of Monroe came to make a deposit at the bank. He grabbed his camera and snapped a few pictures of the action.
“Why would anyone rob a bank?” Smith said. “There’s no money in banks these days.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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