Tanning salon robber may have struck again
Published 4:33 pm Friday, July 31, 2009
EVERETT – An armed robber who police believe is on a frantic crime spree may have struck again yesterday.
Two adult shops in Everett and a Snohomish tanning salon were robbed by a man matching the description of a suspect police believe is responsible for up to 17 other robberies, primarily at tanning salons in Snohomish and King counties.
Lover’s on Broadway was robbed about 1 p.m. yesterday. Then about 8 p.m. a newly-opened tanning salon on Avenue D in Snohomish was held up. About two hours later The Love Zone on Evergreen Way was struck.
Investigators believe the one-man crime wave started July 18 at a Mill Creek tanning salon. A man matching the robber’s description has hit businesses in Lynnwood, Marysville, Bothell, unincorporated Snohomish County, Seattle and cities in east King County.
He is believed to have committed several heists in a single day. A tanning salon along Highway 9 outside of Snohomish was robbed July 22. The same day a salon near Alderwood mall was hit. A tanning salon near Everett Mall was robbed the next day.
The man comes into businesses, pulls out a handgun and demands money, according to police. No one has been injured in the robberies.
“At first this guy was timid and shy but now it’s escalating,” Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said. “He’s become a lot more brazen and arrogant. That concerns us.”
Police agencies around the area are working the cases together and sharing information, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.
“It’s only a matter of time and he’s going to get caught,” Sessions said.
The robber is described as a white man in his early 20s. He’s about 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds with a small pot belly. He has short brown hair but may have bleached it blonde. He also has been described as having a pale, round pudgy face and acne.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the robberies is asked to call 911 or the Snohomish County sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.
