Tacoma police arrested a suspect linked to a string of robberies targeting elderly women on January 16 after receiving numerous reports of elderly women being robbed of cash and purses. After detectives identified a suspect, they ramped up their investigation with surveillance and developed probable cause for arrest. Detectives and the Tacoma Police Special Investigations Unit tracked the man to 121st Street and Meridian, where he parked in the Cash America lot. As officers approached, the man put on a balaclava head covering and armed himself with a gun, apparently preparing for his next robbery.
Officers surrounded the man, who tried to escape by ramming police vehicles with the stolen vehicle he was driving, but was taken into custody. He was booked into Pierce County jail facing 47 charges including four counts of second-degree robbery, 25 counts of second-degree identity theft, two counts of attempting to elude police, two counts of second-degree assault, and possession of stolen firearm and vehicle. Additional charges are under investigation.
The suspect’s preparation to commit another robbery as police closed in demonstrates the serial nature of his crimes and suggests he might have continued victimizing elderly women indefinitely without intervention. The 25 identity theft counts indicate he didn’t simply steal cash and purses but exploited personal information from victims to commit financial fraud, multiplying harm beyond the initial robbery trauma.
The targeting of elderly women represents predatory selection of vulnerable victims who are less able to physically resist and may be more easily intimidated. Whether surveillance revealed patterns in how he selected victims, whether he followed them from banks or stores after observing cash transactions, or whether he simply approached elderly women opportunistically affects understanding of his methods. The fact that police received “numerous reports” suggests either multiple victims or witnesses reporting suspicious activity before robberies occurred.
The arrest occurring as suspect put on balaclava and armed himself prevented another robbery but creates legal questions about whether charges for that planned crime can proceed when he didn’t actually commit it. Whether prosecutors can use his actions preparing to rob as evidence of pattern or separate attempted robbery charge affects total exposure.
