He picked a bad time to try a robbery

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 24, 2018

EVERETT — A bank robbery suspect apparently didn’t count on an off-duty Everett police officer being in the building when he handed a threatening note to a Chase bank employee.

The man, 50, asked to speak with the manager at the Fred Meyer branch of the bank on Evergreen Way. It happened around 10:30 a.m. Friday, according to police reports.

The manager wasn’t available, so the man sat down in a cubicle with another banker. He dug out sheets of paper from one of the many bags he’d brought in, and placed an envelope on top of the stack.

“Give me $301.00 if not I will kill u all Boom!!!!!!” read the outside of the envelope, according to court papers.

He handed the woman a Heritage Bank check for $302.84. The banker told him she couldn’t cash the check because he didn’t have a Chase account.

“I’m not leaving this (expletive) bank, till I get the (expletive) money,” he said, according to court papers.

The woman excused herself. Another employee hit the silent alarms — alerting an Everett officer, who happened to be working as private security in the store.

Meanwhile, the banker returned to tell the man she still couldn’t cash the check. He repeated that he wouldn’t leave until he got the money. He stood in front of her in a way that appeared he was getting ready to attack, and she shouted for someone to call 911. The man grabbed his belongings and left, with no cash.

The police officer found the suspect had not gone far. He was tracked down in the jewelry department. Chase employees identified him as the robber. No one was hurt.

The man was arrested for investigation of attempted robbery in the first degree. He was still in jail Monday, with bail set over the weekend at $50,000.

The suspect, who is homeless in Everett, has a misdemeanor record of trespassing and car prowling. He was charged with a felony last year after Everett police said they found 1.9 grams of methamphetamine on him, according to charging papers.

That case was dismissed in February, when the Snohomish County prosecutor announced his office would stop charging people who were caught carrying less than 2 grams of drugs.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.