BOTHELL — It sounds like it’s the slammer for the “Tour de Banks” robber.
The bicycle-riding heistman has been targeting banks in Snohomish and King Counties for much of this year. He’s believed to be responsible for robberies in Arlington, Bothell, Monroe and Mill Creek, among others.
On Friday, police arrested a 30-year-old suspect near his home in south Snohomish County, according to King County sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West.
The man’s name wasn’t released Friday. He was expected to be booked into King County Jail.
The investigation was a collaboration between the King County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and detectives from Bothell, Monroe, Arlington and Mill Creek, West said.
Detectives spent Friday morning watching the man’s house in the 20300 block of 124th Avenue NE, north of Bothell, she said.
He was arrested while driving away from his home at about 8 a.m.
Search warrants were then served on the house and at an adult living home he owns in the 21100 block of 46th Avenue SE, also in the north Bothell area.
During the robberies, he reportedly donned hooded sweatshirts and wore ski masks, scarves or cloth to cover his face. He wore black gloves.
Surveillance video from the banks shows the robber demanding cash at gunpoint, stuffing the loot in a backpack and then riding away.
He wasn’t the only suspect serial robber using a bicycle in recent months.
On Sept 25, an Anacortes man was shot by police during a holdup in Stanwood. He’s suspected of being the “Phony Pony Bandit,” who not only used a bicycle to escape, but also wore an odd wig that led to his nickname, according to a search warrant. The man is an aspiring developer whose business dreams sank in debt.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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