At 3:18 p.m. Jan. 6, Chase Bank at 33702 21st Ave. S.W. (located inside Fred Meyer) was the victim of a robbery. The suspect matches the description of an Auburn bank robber.
The suspect, a white male in his early 20s or 30s, measuring 5-feet-4-inches to 5-feet-7-inches tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds, took an undisclosed amount of money from the Federal Way bank.
Police are not releasing information about how he obtained the cash. However, he did not display or imply a weapon and nobody was hurt, Federal Way police spokesman Raymond Bunk said.
The incident is the 14th robbery in Federal Way in the past 13 months. This is the first time this bank has been robbed during that time.
Based on photographs obtained at the scene, the suspect appears to be the same man who, at 4:17 p.m. Dec. 30, robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Auburn. That bank is located inside the Top Food and Drug grocery store at 1406 Lake Tapps Parkway.
In both robberies, photographs of the suspect show a white male wearing a ball cap, glasses, a navy blue coat and a red shirt. Witnesses in the Federal Way case reported the man has a tribal tattoo on his neck and was unshaven.
Federal Way police are not confirming the suspect is the same man wanted for the Auburn robbery, but are admitting there is a resemblance. However, Auburn police Det. Dave Colglazier said, based on the photographs, Auburn and Federal Way detectives are working together to solve the cases.
Auburn police are not releasing specifics on its robbery, except that no weapons were seen and no people were injured, Colglazier said. He said his police department is already receiving tips and wants to keep details of the robbery quiet so as to verify some of the information that is being passed on.
Wells Fargo is offering a $5,000 reward for original information leading to the identification, apprehension and conviction of the suspect.
Anyone with information on the Federal Way robbery is asked to call Det. Jeff VanderVeer at (253) 835-6791 or dial 911. Anyone with information on the Auburn robbery is asked to contact the Auburn Police Department tip line at (253) 288-7403.
