For an alleged serial bank robber, taking a Thursday night out at the Royal Casino in Everett was bad luck.
Just as the 49-year-old man was about to take a bite out of his steak dinner at the casino, Lynnwood police arrested him.
His two-month-long robbery streak that included two banks in Lynnwood and one each in Everett and Marysville, and possibly several others in Snohomish County, had come to an end, Sgt. Sean Doty said Friday.
Based on a tip police received more than a week ago, police suspected the man, but couldn’t track him down, Doty said.
Footage of a July 5 robbery at the Cascade Bank in Lynnwood was aired on local TV stations. Police received tips and found the suspect had a liking for casinos. Police tested their luck and distributed fliers of the man at local casinos.
Only hours after police posted fliers at the Royal Casino, someone tipped them off about the suspect.
“We just got a lucky break,” Doty said.
The man will be charged on suspicion of two counts of robbery for his alleged hits at the Lynnwood banks, Doty said.
The sergeant said the man moved into the area only in the last few months. He said the suspect may have been robbing banks to feed a gambling habit.
“That’s the main operating theory we’re going with,” he said.
Reporter Chris Collins: 425-339-3436 or ccollins@ heraldnet.com.
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