Robber Takes Cash, But Leaves Clues South Hill Washington Trust Branch Robbed; Suspect Drops Cap, Gloves In Parking Lot
A man who robbed a South Hill bank Thursday left behind so many clues police were laughing, but he still managed to get away with several handfuls of cash.
The robbery occurred about 2:15 p.m. at the Washington Trust branch near 29th and Regal.
The man waited until “the last customer left before dashing in and taking the money,” police Cpl. John Strickland said.
The robber never showed a weapon “or even said he had one,” Strickland said. He just demanded 50- and 100-dollar bills.
After grabbing the cash, the bandit ran to a waiting car, which sped away.
The bank was closed for several hours as police and FBI agents gathered clues and interviewed witnesses.
About 10 people got a good look at the robber before and after the heist.
Strickland said bank tellers saw the bandit, a middle-aged white man in tan clothing, milling around the parking lot shortly before the robbery.
Other witnesses said they saw the man get out of a dark-green Datsun two-door driven by another person moments before the robbery. Several others saw him running away after the heist.
Bank tellers told police the robber ran into a metal sign in the bank parking lot as he ran away. Strickland lifted a set of fingerprints from the sign.
In addition, the robber dropped a stocking cap and pair of knit gloves in a nearby parking lot as he fled. Officers bagged up the clothing as evidence.
“The way this guy’s going, he could have had the gloves with him but forgot to use them,” Strickland said.
It was the second bank robbery in Spokane in two days.
On Wednesday, the Washington Mutual branch on Northwest Boulevard was held up. Police arrested 35-year-old Jefferson Schofield in that robbery.
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