Post navigation

Prev: (09/03/09) | Next: (09/03/09)

Group Health Credit Union on 15th Ave robbed – UPDATE

UPDATE 3:59 PM:
From the scene, typical of many of these types of robberies, it’s mostly quiet at GHCU’s 15th Ave branch as investigators work the scene inside. Outside, would-be bankers wander up to the line of police tape blocking access to the front door and encounter the ‘temporarily closed’ sign — the only indication that something unusual is going on inside.

A man who saw the aftermath of the robbery after the suspect had already fled, said an armored truck had been at the GHCU at the time of the robbery. The truck was gone by the time I arrived.



View Larger Map

UPDATE 4:50 PM:

More from CDNews:

Update: Police have some suspects in mind, not clear why, but think they might be heading to points south of the city

Update x5: Photo from earlier GHCU robbery 2 weeks ago in Tukwila matches the suspect in this one

Update x4: Updated suspect description: Heavy set black male, 5’11”-6′, little bit of facial hair, brown eyes, cream-colored baseball cap

Update x3: Description matches that of a suspect who robbed a bank in Renton earlier today, and may be tied to a rash of earlier robberies of south-county banks

Update x2: Weapon used was a black or blue revolver with a wooden handle.

Original Report:
From our partners at Central District News:

3:26PM 115 15th Ave E Bank Robbery Armed robbery of the Group Health Credit Union. Suspect is a black male, 35, 5’11”, clean cut, cream colored suit, leather baseball cap, possibly associated with a white Chevy Caprice with a spotlight on the side like an old police car.

Heading over to check out the scene. You might recall that the nearby Wells Fargo inside Safeway was robbed back in spring.

UPDATE 5:20 PM:
We checked in with local news gatherers the Renton Reporter about another robbery that occurred today possibly involving the same suspect. The suspect in the 15th Ave crime reportedly brandished a weapon, however — no weapon was used in Renton according to the Reporter:

The Bank of America branch in Fairwood was robbed at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday of an undisclosed amount of cash, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The robber, a black male in his late 40s, showed a note to a teller, took the cash, then fled on foot, according to Sgt. John Urquhart, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

UPDATE 7:20 PM:
Seattle Police Department spokesperson Jeff Kappel confirmed details reported collected from the scanner reports — including that the robber was, indeed, armed — but could not say if any cash was taken in the robbery or exactly how the robbery occurred. Kappel did say that the Ballard bank robbery reported by the Seattle PI today was actually a false alarm.

Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Idaho Spud
Idaho Spud
14 years ago

How disappointing! GHCU is one of the nicer credit unions with accessible tellers and staff. I hope this robbery doesn’t change that. The glass of Watermark and the “cashless branch” system of BECU just don’t have the same flair.

Mary Kay
Mary Kay
14 years ago

Friend of mine was there when it happened and she just told me about it. Says it was very quiet and not at all obvious what was going on. Friend of hers who is a teller there says he looked liked a guy who’s been doing robberies in the South Metro area, Tukwila etc.
MKK

Idaho Spud
Idaho Spud
14 years ago

You’d wonder if it was related to the gentleman that was brazen enough to rob the Alaska USA branch inside the Shoreline Safeway TWICE. Wonder what he has against credit unions?