Officers responded to the thrift store and found video footage of the suspect. Cops flooded the area and found the suspect, arresting him.
SEATTLE — A 49-year-old man is in custody this weekend after Seattle police say he robbed two banks in as many days. The suspect then made things easier for detectives by accidentally leaving behind his demand note in a Capitol Hill Goodwill.
According to police, the suspect entered a Columbia Bank branch on Broadway Avenue East on the afternoon of Jan. 16 and passed a note to a teller demanding cash while claiming he was armed. The teller complied, and the suspect fled on foot.
Crime scene technicians responded and collected latent fingerprints, but the suspect initially escaped.
A few hours later, however, a Goodwill employee called 911 after finding what appeared to be an actual bank robbery demand note inside one of the store’s dressing rooms. Officers responded and reviewed surveillance footage, which police say showed the same suspect.
Patrol officers canvassed the area and located the man nearby, taking him into custody. Police say they recovered cash believed to have been taken in the robbery.
During an interview at police headquarters, detectives determined the same suspect was also responsible for a similar robbery the day before at the Downtown BECU branch on Sixth Avenue, according to investigators.
The man was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of robbery related to both incidents.
Detectives with SPD’s Robbery Unit are handling the cases.
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