Frontier Bank robbed-suspect within reach

Lake Stevens Police respond quickly to the call

BY AMY CODISPOTI | JOURNAL REPORTER Lake Stevens Police say that Frontier Bank, located in the newly annexed Frontier Village, was robbed January 16 around 4:57 pm.

The suspect is described as armed and dangerous and the Lake Stevens Police are working in conjunction with the FBI to locate the man.

“It’s only a matter of time before we have the suspect, before we’re able to reach out and touch him,” Chief Randy Celori said.

The bank was nearing its closing hour when a man described as thin, dark-skinned and approximately 5’9” entered, hiding his face beneath a hood and his mouth with a black mask.

According to the police report, the suspect approached each teller, demanding money in high denominations.

The robber did brandish a semi-automatic pistol, Celori said, and managed to collect an undisclosed amount of money from the bank.

“The guy obviously knew what he was doing,” Celori stated.

Lake Stevens Police got the call from the bank with a notification that the robber had exited the building and was heading on foot toward Les Schwab.

City police were on the scene in three minutes, with Snohomish County Police and Arlington City Police providing immediate back-up support.

As the suspect ran, he removed his mask and a witness caught a glimpse of the suspect’s face, providing the police with a clear description of the man.

Snohomish County’s K9 unit tracked the suspect’s scent to Les Schwab where the scent suddenly disappeared indicating that a run-away car was used.

The robbery is the first under Lake Stevens Police’s jurisdiction in the newly annexed Frontier Village area, occurring 27 days after the annexation.

While there have been other recent robberies in the Frontier Village area, including one at Subway, they occurred before Frontier Village was a part of the city. In these instances, Lake Stevens Police provide back up to assist the County.

“Before, the County would be the first to dispatch, but now it’s us,” said Celori.

When questioning the city’s response time in the newly annexed area, Celori said, “Our response time was about the same as the County’s would have been, if not faster. On average, city response is better because our area of jurisdiction is not as broad as the County’s.”
This may come as good news to residents in the newly annexed area, where robberies are considered to be the highest in Lake Stevens due to its commercial density.

“The bank was certainly happy with our response time,” Celori commented. “And that makes me feel good. Our goal – our responsibility – is to keep Lake Stevens safe. I take it personally when a store gets robbed or a house broken into.”

While Lake Stevens Police have a goal to reduce crime and maintain the city’s reputation as a safe community, crime is inevitable in a city growing at the rate Lake Stevens is.

Celori’s advice to business owners is simple: if you find yourself in a situation where you are feeling suspicious and are questioning whether or not to call the police – make the call.

“Don’t wait to call 911. Don’t wait to hit the panic button,” he said. “Let the police respond. We don’t mind responding and prefer to get there as soon as we can.”

blog comments powered by Disqus