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Awesome Robbery!

Armored truck robber uses Craigslist to make getaway | Top Stories | KING5.com | News for Seattle, Washington

Quote:

MONROE, Wash. – In a move that could be right out of a Hollywood movie, a brazen crook apparently used a Craigslist ad to hire a dozen unsuspecting decoys to help him make his getaway following a robbery outside a bank on Tuesday. He then made his escape in an inner tube on the Skykomish River.

The robbery happened about 11 a.m. on an armored truck guard at a Bank of America branch.

"He was wearing a dust mask, a particle mask. At first I thought it might be a surgical mask. I still didn't think anything was wrong, just unusual. Then I noticed he had a pump sprayer," said Mitch Ruth, who had looked out his office window and noticed the man walking into the bank.

The robber sprayed the guard with pepper spray, grabbed a bag of money the guard was carrying and ran about 100 yards to the creek that runs into the Skykomish River, shedding clothes as he ran.

But apparently, the robber had planned ahead. In case anyone was hot on his trail, he had at least a dozen unsuspecting decoys waiting nearby, which he recruited on Craigslist.

"I came across the ad that was for a prevailing wage job for $28.50 an hour," said Mike, who saw a Craigslist ad last week looking for workers for a road maintenance project in Monroe.

He said he inquired and was e-mailed back with instructions to meet near the Bank of America in Monroe at 11 a.m. Tuesday. He also was told to wear certain work clothing.

"Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask… and, if possible, a blue shirt," he said.

Mike showed up along with about a dozen other men dressed like him, but there was no contractor and no road work to be done. He thought they had been stood up until he heard about the bank robbery and the suspect who wore the same attire.

From there, the cook made his watery escape in a creek that dumps out into the Skykomish River. One witness said the robber swam away, but another said he used an inner tube to get away.

"We did get an inner tube that was about 200 yards from the place where he entered the water and took that for evidence," said Debbie Willis, Monroe Police.

Investigators believe accomplices could have picked the robber up at a nearby boat launch or park.

The FBI is helping Monroe Police trace the ad and want to talk to anyone who responded.

"Any piece of information anyone has could be the piece of the puzzle we need to apprehend the suspects," said Debbie Willis, Monroe Police.

Some Monroe residents, while not endorsing what the robber did, are somewhat amused.

"Creative. Not a right way of doing it, but creative," said Monroe resident Byron Bevard.

"I grew up in LA and I never heard of anything so crazy in my life," said resident Sarah Vazquez.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10, wearing a dark blue shirt, jean shorts and a mask.

Not to advocate robbery, but hell, I couldn't stay angry at a guy that could pull this off. Just awesome imho.

Punish or Get out of jail free card?

Definitely punish. I don't care how creative he was. This was nothing more than an armed robbery.

This is another one of too many examples of seemingly clever people using their capabilities to break the law rather than work within it to get ahead in life. I would recommend maximum sentence since he also put so many innocent people potentially under risk...sort of like terrorists using the innocent public as shields.

Punish as well, but if I was the judge I would shake his hand after the case was closed LOL

Punish... but give him a special on A&E after the fact!

ROFL

Venture Bros cracks me up

the judge will find this funny maybe in his chambers... otherwise he'll show no levity or compassion.

Great entertainment!
Though, he should still be punished.

i hope he does pay the guys that showed up..otherwise he deserves to be punished

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlish (Post 2539950)

i hope he does pay the guys that showed up..otherwise he deserves to be punished

+1

he probably tried to borrow the money 1st anyway....

"i hope he does pay the guys that showed up..otherwise he deserves to be punished"

He should walk on this as long as he pays his bills? Surely you don't mean that.

Some of you folks are really entertaining :-)

This guy is hilarious. You never see stuff like this IRL even though technically a lot of movie stunts WOULD work IRL.

Armed robbery, one count of conspiracy against him for every person he duped into being an unwitting accomplice, and restitution at $28.50 per hour to each person whose time he wasted plus any time they have to take to testify or file reports against him, and 12 counts off wire fraud since Craigslist is hosted out-of-state.

In court ya don't get away with armed robbery simply because you did it with some flare.

On a side note- wonder how many more bank robberies we're going see as foreclosure increase? I mean some 90 yr old woman shot herself rather then be evicted. If she'll shoot herself there's gotta be others out there willing shoot others.

Amusing or not he still deserves to face the law like anyone and everyone else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tully Mars (Post 2540002)

desperate times call for desperate measures. because people will become desperate....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear Cub (Post 2539851)

Punish... but give him a special on A&E after the fact!

I'm with Bear Cub, and not just because of the awesome avatar.:thumbsup:

i thought i was going to be the only one voting get out of jail free. meh it´s only money and everyone wants blood. typical.

It's only money. Hell, it's not your money. It's not even real money; it belongs to one of those evil banks, after all. And no one has to make it up or pay it back. Well, maybe they do... but that's OK, the government will do it. And that's free money, right?

And I'm sure the robber was gonna give all that money to the poor, like Robin Hood, right? He wouldn't go out and feed a meth habit or anything.

´zif i care. ps fyi i pay 36% tax. at least i know where the money is going :)

"´zif i care."

That's only obvious LOL!

On top of the armed robbery charges, he should face assault charges and pay damages to the guard he pepper-sprayed.

interesting point that probably needs further research: this may not even be a robbery. by definition robbery requires the use of intimidation or violence and the use of pepper spray may or may not be considered violence. armed robbery this is definitely not. as far as i can tell. i think it´s only theft by definition.

magnets, if the pepper spray was in your eyes, and it was your money being carried down the creek, would it then be a crime?

It is my money. I'm a BOA client.

Send him to pound me in the ass federal prison, now with extra pounding.

I forgot to post that I think he should be punished. I don't think being creative should get you a pass. It just graduating to super villain status. He got some people to act as his minions without knowing it.

i voted "get out of jail free."

kill the robbery charge and hit him with an assault charge. pepper spray is no fun.

whats my reasoning behind this? none.

That took place only miles from me. Honestly, I think it's hilarious and brilliant, but he should be punished. But ya know- I see especially locals here using that as a great Halloween costume idea now. Wear a ski mask, carry a money bag, and an inner tube over your shoulder.

mcgeedo, I doubt this will occur again, but for once I agree heart and soul with every sentiment you've expressed in this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgeedo (Post 2540294)

magnets, if the pepper spray was in your eyes, and it was your money being carried down the creek, would it then be a crime?

hell no. it would be tears of laughter :D

Thanks, Joz. May we do honorable battle.:)

Punish him, and hard. Creativity is the most dangerous threat :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by lotsofmagnets (Post 2540178)

´zif i care. ps fyi i pay 36% tax. at least i know where the money is going :)

the way the icelandic currency is going, looks like your tax dollars arent worth much either.. i know exactly where your money is going...

down the gurgler!

now with regular programming - mcgeedo - sure i mean it. if he had the intention of paying the poor craigslist guys, then if i was the judge id let him go.

or just give him what OJ is going to get. same shit.

dlish. You're focusing on only one of the issues here. Sure, he used decoys and might not be paying them. Gasp!

But he also sprayed pepper spray in a security guard's face and ran off with a sack of money (i.e. theft).

You're saying the judge should only try the first crime, and not the second?

Honestly, if you do think that, then I'm glad you're not a judge. I respect you and your views, but I want people to try alleged criminals based on the law, not personal feelings.

you see..he didnt use a gun so he didnt want to kill anyone. the fact is, if he wanted to kill the gurard he would have shot him.

it would have been the same result (he would have ran away with the money). so lets give the guy the benefit of the doubt. he's obviously got the guards family in mind. im sure the judge will take that into consideration.

ok ok ok joz..so i was kidding. i do use a lot of sarcasm here. just trying to stir the pot. i dont really think that. and if you really want to see my view that the law should be based on the crimes and not on personal feelings, then you should read the OJ simpson thread!

oh and thanks for the plug...she-lish just told me its the first smile of the day for me... its 10pm. thanks bud! :D

I was getting -seriously- confused before I realized you were kidding. lol.

Btw: what do you mean by the plug? *confused*.

Quote:

I respect you and your views

a plug is giving someone i guess a good wrap..or a good word... maybe its an aussie coloquial term? im not sure..

but when you wrote that u there i smiled and she-lish said i hadnt smiled all day up until that point.

Oh definetly punish, but I do give him credit where credit is due. That is a creative getaway.

He should be punished, of course... with taking into account that he only used pepper spray and not a real weapon, but still that's plain robbery. The fact that he did it in an unusual and somewhat funny way doesn't excuse him from guilt.

What happened here where I live a few days ago - a couple of drunken men entered a bus that was waiting on its starting station, with passengers already in it, and started driving it… When they were pulled over by the police, the passengers told that they didn’t even notice anything unusual was happening, because the ride was as usual and they made stops at each bus station! Still, that doesn’t excuse the perpetrators from responsibility.