The Crime of Kings

Monroe robber at large; inner tube escape unlikely
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Last updated 10:07 a.m. PT

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

When police in Monroe responded to the robbery of an armored car guard, they discovered a lot of people wearing shirts similar to the suspect.

On Tuesday, a man shot pepper spray into the face of the guard outside the Bank of America branch on U.S. Route 2, then ran away and forded a stream. He was wearing a long-sleeve blue shirt, camouflage shorts and a blue hat. His nose and mouth were covered with a cloth surgical mask.

He wasn't the only one who preferred blue.

As the robbery unfolded, several men were nearby who had been lured to the scene by a bogus Craigslist ad offering landscaping/cleanup jobs. Many were also wearing long-sleeve blue shirts, but none had masks as the ad specified.

Monroe police have asked FBI experts to determine the author of the Craigslist ad.

Two men who saw the robbery chased the robber, but he "outpaced them," Monroe Police Operations Commander Gary Clopp said. A short time later, another witness saw a man fitting the description of the robber enter Woods Creek just upstream from the Skykomish River.

Despite media reports that the robber made his escape floating down the creek in an inner tube, Clopp said he does not believe that to be the case.

"There was a tube found by the river," Clopp said. "We don't know if it was involved in the crime. Based on where it was sitting, I would venture to guess that there is no way he would have used it."

Clopp said that some parts of Woods Creek could be crossed on foot while other parts are deep enough to require a swim.

Asked if the robber had been watching the bank to determine when an armored car came for a pickup, Clopp said: "It is obvious that some pre-planning took place. There was no question that he had an idea on the timing."