Serial robber may be behind Mill Creek bank holdup

MILL CREEK — A bank holdup in Mill Creek on Monday could be the work of a serial robber already being sought by the FBI, according to police.

The robbery was reported about 2:30 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Bank at 132nd Street SE and 16th Avenue SE, Mill Creek police officer Ian Durkee said.

A man robbed the bank with a shirt pulled over his head, Durkee said. A search for the suspect was unsuccessful as of late Monday afternoon. No local police dogs were available to assist.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the robber had a weapon, Durkee said. Detectives were at the bank investigating.

“We’re actively trying to gather evidence and video footage,” he said.

The bank has been targeted by robbers at least three times in recent memory, Durkee said.

The bank employees did everything they were supposed to, he said. The employees also said the suspect appeared to be the Elephant Man Bandit, who’s suspected in a string of bank robberies in the region. They’d seen police warnings about him.

The FBI was assisting with the case in Mill Creek. That’s routine in bank robberies, because banks are federally insured.