Two Lynnwood robbery suspects caught
Published 10:53 pm Thursday, September 25, 2008
LYNNWOOD — Police arrested two serial robbery suspects Tuesday believed to be responsible for a string of Lynnwood-area armed holdups.
Since Sept. 16, there have been five robberies. They all matched a similar pattern, police said.
In each case, a man wearing a bandana used a silver-colored handgun to demand money and ordered the clerks to count to 100 after he left. The holdups occurred either late at night or in the very early hours of the morning, according to court documents.
Each time, police believe a woman was waiting in a car outside, whisking the pair away from the cops.
Police developed a plan to put an end to the rampage after four of the robberies. They caught the couple early Tuesday.
“Anytime there’s a weapon used in a crime it becomes a priority case for us,” said Lynnwood Police detective Sgt. Rod Cohnheim. “We’re pleased to have these suspects in custody before anyone got hurt.”
The crimes all took place either in Lynnwood or just across the city line in unincorporated Snohomish County, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
Just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 18, someone held up a gas station store in the 14700 block of Highway 99. Sheriff’s deputies used a police dog but weren’t able to track the man down.
With each repeated crime, Lynnwood police grew increasingly concerned. Officers started to talk to area businesses and told them to be extra cautious.
“Our officers did some good community policing and alerted the local stores about what appeared a serial robber at work,” Sessions said.
Patrol officers also developed the plan to catch the man, she said.
About 4 a.m. Tuesday, someone held up a convenience store in the 3600 block of 164th Street SW.
“Instead of going to the store, (the officers) went all different directions surrounding the store,” Sessions said.
A car was stopped and a man who matched the description of the robbery suspect was found hiding in the back seat, she said.
The driver, an Everett woman, 18, tried to walk away but police quickly arrested her, the documents said.
During an interview with detectives, the woman at first said she wasn’t involved in the robberies, the documents said.
When detectives told her they had evidence linking her to the man, and that they believed she was the getaway driver, she admitted her role, the documents said.
She’s being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of four counts of first-degree robbery.
The man, a convicted felon, 30, refused to talk to police. His last known address was in Arlington, documents said.
The couple had been staying together at a Lynnwood motel since Sept. 11.
A judge ordered the man held on $120,000 bail. He’s jailed for investigation of four counts of first-degree robbery, one count of failing to register as a sex offender and outstanding warrants for parole violations.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com
